


Dawn of Arcadia

by Sovereign64



Series: Impact Shared Universe [9]
Category: BlazBlue, Fairy Tail, Fate/Apocrypha, Fate/Grand Order, Gundam 00, Tales of Berseria, Tales of Series, Tales of Symphonia, Tales of Vesperia
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure, Adventure & Romance, Battle, Drama, Earth Land, F/M, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-14
Updated: 2019-09-14
Packaged: 2019-09-18 04:37:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 105,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16988166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sovereign64/pseuds/Sovereign64
Summary: The fight against Acnologia is over and peace is restored to Earth Land. But now, Team Natsu has received a new mission from the Magic Council to help a mysterious man who has lost his memories, and ends up plunging them into a brand new adventure to save their world.





	1. A New Adventure, Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! Welcome to my latest story! If any of you have been following me, you will know that I originally wrote another _Fairy Tail_ story called _Our Amazing Guild_. Unfortunately, I've decided to cancel it, mainly because I didn't like where that story is going and I've lost motivation to continue writing it along the way. That is why I've decided to restart my _Fairy Tail_ story and hopefully, this will be the last time I'll ever do such a thing. And with my second attempt at a _Fairy Tail_ , I also decided to make it a crossover with the _Tales_ series, another franchise I absolutely love.
> 
> I hope you all enjoy my newest story!
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own _Fairy Tail_ , Hiro Mashima does. And I don't own Sheena Fujibayashi, Bandai Namco does.

Story cover/Artwork drawn by Iceiclesified/Iceikory

Check out her websites,  _www.facebook.com/iceiclesified/_ ,  _twitter.com/iceiclesified_ and  _www.instagram.com/iceikory/?hl=en_

* * *

A gentle wind blowing across his face. Rays of light shining onto his eyelids. And his hand placed over a red scabbard.

These are the first things a man with messy black hair noticed when he woke up from his sleep. He groans as he slowly rose up from his bed and removes the sheets. Noticing that his vision is groggy, the man proceeds to rub his eyes. But after giving a few rubs, the man lowers his hands and notices the tears on his fingers. He sighs before wiping off the tears that are still brimming in his eyes.

"The same dream…again…" He murmured.

The man turns his head to the drawer beside him and picks up a pair of glasses. After cleaning the lenses of his glasses with his white shirt, he puts them on and lets out a heavy yawn. He turns around and prepares to get out of-

"Ohayo!"

"AAHHH!" The man yelled in surprise as he fell back down on his bed. With his eyes widened, all traces of his drowsiness disappeared in an instant. As he lifts himself up from his bed once more, the man adjusts his glasses to see a familiar brown-eyed woman leaning forward and gazing back at him with her hands placed at the sides of her hip and a warm smile plastered across her face. Her black hair is tied to a messy ponytail by a pink ribbon and she is dressed in light violet robes with a white tube top underneath, a pink sash, black pants and light violet boots. The woman gave Darren a lopsided smirk as she watches her dumbfounded friend in amusement.

After silently staring at her…assets for a few moments, Darren murmured as he sheepishly turns his head away from her, "Ohayo, Sheena."

"Rise and shine, kiddo." Sheena said, standing up straight. "It's time to go to work."

* * *

Sheena hums merrily to herself as she leans against the wall of their apartment building, waiting for Darren to get ready for another day of work. A few moments later, the door beside her opened, revealing her friend who is now dressed in a sleeveless black jacket with a white tank top underneath, a silver cross necklace around his neck, black gloves with silver plating, blue jeans, two black belts with silver buckles strapped around his waist, black kneepads and black boots.

After closing the door behind him, Darren nodded to Sheena and the two stroll their way through the town of Underwood.

Located at the eastern edge of Fiore, Underwood is a border town that was more remote than any other city and town in the country. It is small but lively. Most of the buildings are two-floor apartments and along the road is a huge marketplace where several people are walking through the area and standing around the stalls, examining the items that are on sale. Some of the merchants sat under the awnings of their stalls while others are shouting and encouraging any potential customers to buy whatever they are selling. Further south of the town was a cluster of mountains, located along the borders of Fiore and Bosco, its neighboring country.

"Good morning Darren and Sheena!" One of the merchants greeted as she spots Darren and Sheena passing by her stall.

"Hello Mickey!" Darren replied, smiling warmly at the merchant as he and Sheena turn to her.

"Ohayo Chickentiger-san!" Sheena said, bowing her head. A small bird on Mickey Chickentiger's head chirped at the two. Sheena chuckled. "Ohayo Pii-chan."

"Hey Pii-chan." Darren said, waving his hand at the bird. "How's business lately, Mickey?"

"It's alright, I guess." Mickey shrugged. She looks down at the products that she displayed at the front of her stall. The products are mostly combat gloves, bandages and a couple of weapons. "I just wish more people who are interested in magic and hand-to-hand combat would often come to this town so that they can check out what products I have for sale."

"Why not try selling them at a bigger city like Magnolia? They attract a lot of mages, so I'm sure your business will do better there." Sheena implied.

"Funny you mention that place." Mickey said, scratching her chin. "Pii-chan and I were originally from Magnolia. But while I don't wish to talk much about it, let's say some bad things happen to me over there and that's what made me left. I never return there ever since."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Darren said apologetically.

"Nah, it's alright." Mickey reassured him with a smile.

"Do you ever think about how things are doing back in Magnolia right now?" Darren asked.

"Aside knowing that the town was invaded 2 years ago, sometimes." Mickey said.

"And you gotta have a reason to revisit your past." Sheena said flatly to Darren.

"For me, I wish I know how I got here in the first place." Darren said to her. There was a moment of awkward silence between the two and Mickey. The merchant took the moment to contemplate what Darren and Sheena had just said before finally breaking the silence.

"Now then, are you two just going to stand around or head to work?" Mickey asked.

"Oh right!" Darren realized aloud. "Come on, Sheena. Let's go!"

"Hai." Sheena responded.

"Bye Mickey! Bye Pii-chan!" Darren said as he and Sheena wave goodbye to Mickey and her bird.

"Take care of yourselves!" Mickey said to them as she waves her hand back. Pii-chan chirps in response.

* * *

Despite still being rather early in the morning, the town's restaurant is already filled with many customers. Most of them came to have their breakfast while others are also sitting around and drinking away the morning.

"Thank you very much. Please wait patiently for your order to arrive." Darren said as he writes down the orders on a notepad. He turns around, walks away from the table and goes into the kitchen.

While there is certainly life and joy erupting in the dining area, there is a completely different atmosphere happening in the kitchen. The cooks are busy walking around and standing at the stoves, preparing the food for the customers and filling up the workplace with a mixture of steam, smoke and various aromas arising from their cooking and the ingredients.

"Orders for table 15." Darren said as he tears out the page from the notepad and hands it to a tall and overweight bald man dressed in a white hat, a white apron with a purple shirt and tan pants underneath it and brown shoes. The man snatches it from Darren's hand and glares at him.

"Got it." The man said flatly. "And Darren?"

"Yes, Mr. Maroro?" Darren asked with a nervous frown.

"I'm docking your pay again."

"What? Why?" Darren asked incredulously.

"You um…been showing up late to work recently."

"But I have always been coming here few minutes before-"

"Are you going to make excuses or get back out there and fill up the customers' orders?!"

Seeing the scowl on Maroro's face, Darren flinched and sighed inwardly. "Understood, sir." He mumbled.

"Get back to work." Maroro muttered before turning around and walking back to his workstation.

Darren turns around and heads to the door. As he opens it, a waiter comes in while carrying a pile of dirtied plates. Darren moves out of the way to allow him to enter. The waiter walks over to the sinks where Sheena is standing behind and places the plates at the side. Without a word, the waiter walks away, causing Sheena to pout and folds her arms.

"Sheena, we need these dishes cleaned up." Sheena said to herself as she rolls her eyes back. She grins and bows down. "Thank you very much for your help."

"You're welcome." Darren added, smiling at her. Sheena chuckled at him as she stood up. She turns to the sinks and return to cleaning the dishes.

As Darren reenters the dining area, the entrance to the restaurant opened. He looks up and sees four figures entering the place.

"Ah! I am so happy we finally found a good place to eat and relax after an entire week of travelling!" One of them cried in relief with a huge grin on his face. He is a lean and muscular young man with pink spiky hair, black eyes and wears a white scarf around his neck, a sleeveless black jacket, a black wristband around his left wrist, a brown belt with a silver round buckle, a black waistcoat, white pants, and black sandals.

"Aye!" A small anthropomorphic blue cat with large white wings on his back said in agreement as he walks alongside the man.

"I gotta agree with Natsu and Happy. My feet are killing me." A young woman who walked alongside the man said, slouching over with her arms drooped at her sides. She has long blonde hair, tied to a side ponytail by a blue ribbon, chocolate brown eyes and wears a sleeveless white shirt with blue outlines and a large horizontal blue stripe across the top section, a blue skirt, a brown belt and black boots. Attached onto the belt is a ring of gold and silver keys and a black whip.

"You guys should be more like Gray, Wendy and Carla. While they are still out in town stocking up our supplies and continuing our search, you guys are already out of energy shortly after our arrival." Another young woman chided the three. She has brown eyes, long dark red hair and dressed in a sleeveless white blouse, a blue ribbon around the collar, a blue skirt and black boots.

"Well, you know me. The flames inside me are constantly burning my calories away." Natsu grinned as he places his hand on his abdomen.

"I still feel gross just hearing that." The blonde-haired woman moaned.

As the four go over to an empty table and take their seats, Darren looks around and sees the other patrons in the restaurant talking to each other as they glance at the newest visitors. He can tell that just by their presence alone, they had already garnered a lot of attention.

"Hey!" Darren yelped as a waiter places his hand on his shoulder. "Don't just there. Give them their menus and take their order."

Darren dumbly nods his head as the waiters hands him a few menus. "Sorry, it's just that these four are quite…popular." Darren said.

"Of course they are. They're Fairy Tail, the number 1 guild in all of Fiore. Who has not heard of them?" The waiter said. Darren silently stares back at him for a few seconds before the waiter snorted. "Seriously? Do you live in a well or something? Now go attend to them!"

Darren nods his head again before he and the waiter went their separate ways. Darren walks over to the four and hands them the menus.

"Welcome to Salziger Spitoon. We hope you will find what you would like to eat here." Darren greeted them.

"Thank you very much." The red-haired woman smiled at Darren. She turns to Natsu who stares at Darren for a moment before a smirk takes form on his face. He opens the menu and looks down at it.

"We should order food for Gray, Wendy and Carla too while they are still outside." The blonde-haired woman said.

"Good idea Lucy. I bet Gray just wants something cold again." Natsu said.

"Haha, very funny."

"Huh?" Natsu turns around and to his surprise; he sees a muscular young man with dark blue eyes, messy black hair and is only dressed in a silver cross necklace around his neck, a silver bracelet around his right wrist, a light brown belt with a silver buckle, dark green pants and black boots. "Gray, what the hell are you doing here?!"

"What does it look like, charcoal-for-a-brain?" Gray replied, arching a brow in annoyance at Natsu. "Wendy, Carla and I are here to join you for breakfast."

"You take that back, ice breath!" Natsu snapped as he gets up and jabs an accusing finger at Gray's chest. As the two boys growled menacingly at each other, Lucy and Erza shake their heads.

"How goes the search?" The red-haired woman asked two other figures standing beside Gray. One of them is a small girl with brown eyes and long dark blue hair, tied to two ponytails with red ribbons. She is dressed in a sleeveless dark green dress, gold bands around her upper arms and dark red sandals. The other is a small anthropomorphic white cat with eyelashes and large white wings on her back. She is dressed in a yellow long-sleeved blouse with a pink ribbon around its collar, a dark red skirt and another pink ribbon wrapped around the end of her tail.

"Sorry Erza." The blue-haired girl said apologetically as she shakes her head. "I couldn't detect the one we are looking for at the marketplace."

"It may take a while. But at least we know he is somewhere in this town." The white cat said.

"It's alright, Wendy and Carla." The red-haired woman, now known as Erza, said. As Natsu and Gray continue arguing with each other, Erza narrows her eyes as she turns to them and slams her fist on the table.

"IF YOU TWO DON'T QUIET DOWN, I WILL BEAT YOU TWO TO A BLOODY PULP!" Erza suddenly roared, causing everyone present in the dining area including Natsu, Gray and Darren to yelp.

Natsu and Gray tremble in fear as they slowly get into their seats. Wendy and Carla also sat down along with the rest of the group.

Lucy sighs heavily and turns to Darren who is still standing at their table, looking shell-shocked. "We're so sorry for the commotion, sir. These things happen to us all the time." She said apologetically.

"I-I-I-It's okay…" Darren struggled to say as he shook. "I am still waiting for your orders though."

"Right." Lucy said as she looks back at the menu. "I'll have bacons and eggs."

"I'll have a beef burger and fries, please!" Natsu said to Darren with a grin.

"I'll take pancakes with butter and maple syrup." Erza smiled at Darren.

"Scrambled eggs." Gray simply said with a nod of his head.

"I want waffles." Wendy said.

"Salmon!" Happy shouted cheerfully.

"What he said." Carla shrugged.

Darren wrote down their orders on his notepad before looking back at them. "Alright, please wait patiently for your food to arrive. Thank you very much for choosing Salziger Spitoon." He bowed to them before he grabs the menus, turns around and hurriedly walks back to the kitchen.

As the guild watched him depart, Erza narrows her eyes and turns to Natsu. "Natsu, are you sure it is him?" She asked solemnly.

Natsu nods his head in response. "Aye."

* * *

The rest of the morning was rather uneventful for Sheena and Darren. They continued working normally for hours until it is time for their afternoon break. They leave the restaurant and head to the apartment building at the other side. Sheena and Darren manage to climb up to the rooftop thanks to their skills, sat down and each ate a loaf of bread. They spent the rest of their break time conversing with each other.

"UGH! It's so obvious that he's using your hard-earned money to gamble again! That filthy pig." Sheena said irritably, gritting her teeth.

"I felt the same way..." Darren's eyes softened. "But then again, where else can we go if we lose this job?"

Sheena sighs heavily before turning to Darren. "By the way, you were at the dining area at the time. What was that loud yell earlier?" She inquired.

"Oh well, it came from a guild that visited the restaurant this morning. If I remember correctly, they're called Fairy Tail." Darren explained. He still couldn't believe that he had just met the members of Fairy Tail this morning. Sheena had told him before that guilds are groups formed by mages which they can join and work together to earn money by accepting requests from civilians and government officials throughout the country. But he never thought of meeting the most powerful guild of them all today.

"I see." Sheena narrows her eyes.

"Is it true they are the number 1 guild in Fiore?" Darren asked.

Sheena lies down on the rooftop with a hand placed on the back of her head. A wide smile takes form on her face as she replied, "Yup, everybody knows that, including me."

"You told me about guilds but you never told me about Fairy Tail. Why?" Darren asked.

"Because I never wanted to." Sheena said bluntly.

"Why not?" Darren asked.

"Sheesh. Being awfully curious today huh?" Sheena arches a brow at him. She gets back up in a sitting position and replied, "Well, no matter what, I don't want you to get too interested in joining a guild. Sure it sounds fun, but you gotta remember. Only mages can form or join a guild. But you don't have any magic inside you at all."

"That's true." Darren said, lowering his head.

"Fortunately, thanks to my training, you know how to do sword fighting with that katana of yours. That alone is already enough to help you survive out here. Right?" Sheena asked.

"Yeah." Darren responded.

"You still don't remember how you got here, don't you?" Sheena asked.

"No. I don't. I also still don't understand why I'm seemingly the only person here who doesn't have magic." Darren said.

"Hey, don't worry. I'm sure your memories will come back." Sheena said before placing her hand on his shoulder. "Things always come naturally, don't they?"

Darren turns to Sheena and smiled at her. "I'm glad to have you around, Sheena." He said.

Sheena responded with a wan smile, "Me too."

* * *

Darren and Sheena leave the restaurant after a long day of work. By the time they had finished work, it was already 9:30 pm. The two sigh wearily as not only did Darren's payment get docked again, but also that they have little time for rest as soon as they return home and before another day of work comes again by sunrise.

When they arrive back at their apartment, Darren and Sheena took turns to use the bathroom to change into their nightclothes and brush their teeth. When they are done, they are ready to tuck themselves in for the night. Sheena follows Darren to his room and watches him lie down on his bed and gets under the blanket.

"Sleep well. Tomorrow's going to be another rough day, I'm sure." Sheena said as she stood at the doorway.

"You too." Darren replied.

Sheena gave him a final smile before she turns around and closes the door. Darren stares up at the ceiling and closes his eyelids. Before he knew it, he has fallen asleep.

* * *

Darren moans as he woke up, lying on a grassy field. His vision was groggy at first, but he managed to lift his head up and rubs his eyes. When his vision became clearer, Darren widens his eyes and adjusts his glasses. He gets up from the grass and stood up, looking around his surroundings in awe.

He realized that he is standing in the middle of a grassy field in a park. There are very few people strolling through the area and paid no attention to him. There are also several buildings that form a street in the distance and behind the metal fences that lined the boundaries of the park.

Darren snaps out of his thoughts when he felt a rubber ball gently knocked against his right leg. He turns his head and looks down. Sure enough, he sees the ball, but what also caught his eyes is a red scabbard in front of his feet. Shortly after picking up the ball, a small boy scampers over and Darren looked at him.

"That's my ball, sir." The boy said as he extends out his hands.

"Kid? Where am I?" Darren asked the boy.

"You don't know? You're in Underwood." The boy replied.

"Underwood?" Darren said dumbfounded.

"Yup. Now can I have my ball?" The boy asked. Darren nods his head before handing the ball over to the child. "Thank you!" The boy smiled at him before turning around and running off.

Darren looks back to his front, feeling perplexed as several questions began hatching inside his mind. Aside from the name of the place, he has no idea where he is and how he got here. Oh and why is there a scabbard in front of him too.

Looking back down at the scabbard, Darren picks it up and holds it firmly in his hand. He looks back up and begins walking his way to the town. Hopefully he will get some answers from the townspeople.

* * *

Darren looks around in awe as he strolls through the town. The place does look beautiful and each building is built differently and has its own personality from one another. He walks through the marketplace and sees the fruits, vegetables and other groceries that are displayed at the front of the food stalls. As he felt his stomach grumble, only did Darren now realize that he hadn't eaten anything ever since he first arrived to this strange place. While still holding onto the scabbard, Darren inserts his other hand into one of his pockets, but he couldn't feel anything. He inserts his hand into the other pocket, but-

While Darren was trying to find a single cent on him, he didn't look what was in front of him while he was walking and he accidentally bumps into someone's back. Darren looks up as he came to a halt. He widens his eyes as he sees a tall man standing in front of him. The man turns around and frowns at Darren in annoyance. He looks muscular has green spiky hair. Standing behind him are two other men, one's hair is straightened up to a pink Mohawk and the other has long blue hair, tied to a ponytail and wears sunglasses.

"Hey, do you even know where you are going?" The green-haired man muttered to Darren.

"I'm sorry, sir." Darren said apologetically to him.

"Pay up." The man gave a terse reply.

"Huh?" Darren said incredulously.

"Are you dumb? Pay up!" The man yelled furiously.

"But I don't have any-"

To his shock, Darren gets cut off when the man swings his fist, punching him across his left cheek. The other people in the marketplace saw this, but unfortunately none of them are brave enough to help Darren and stand against the three muscular men. All they could do is watch in fear and worry.

"In case you didn't know, we owned this town! And if you show disrespect to us, you have to pay for your actions in cash! NOW DO IT!" The man yelled again.

"I'm sorry, sir!" Darren cried, looking back at the man and trying to reason with him. "I really don't have any money with me and-"

The man responded by throwing a punch to Darren's gut. Darren gasped in pain before falling on his knees.

"You are really stubborn, you know that?!" The man barked at Darren. The other two thugs standing behind him chuckled. "Now pay up or else-"

"Whoa, whoa, guys. What's going on here?"

Darren and the three men turn their heads in confusion and see Sheena walking over to them with her hands placed at the back of her head.

"Huh?" Darren managed to choke out while still kneeling down on the floor in pain.

As Sheena places herself between Darren and the three men, she smirked at the green-haired man as she lowers her arms and places her hands at the sides of her hip.

"I overheard you saying that you owned this town? Give me a break." Sheena rolls her eyes. "With those silly hairstyles and the clothes you wear, you can't even intimidate a curily."

The three men grimaced at Sheena, infuriated by her comments.

"You got a lot of nerve, scum." The green-haired man said icily to Sheena as he clenches his fists. He yells as he swings his fist at Sheena. The woman simply dodges it by turning to the side. The man swings his other fist, trying to hit Sheena again. But the woman backs away to avoid his attack.

The woman gave him a mocking yawn, angering the man. The man swings his leg up, trying to give a massive kick to Sheena. However, Sheena moves to the side and wraps her arm around his leg. The man widens his eyes in shock before Sheena gave a twist to his leg.

"AAAAHHHH!" The man screams in agony as he fell to the ground. Sheena releases his now injured leg and the man clings onto it in huge amounts of pain.

"Why you…" The pink-haired man charges at Sheena and throws his fist at her. Sheena ducks down, turns around and grabs the man's arm. To his surprise, the man helplessly watched Sheena gets up, yanks his arm and tosses him over her shoulder. As the man slams onto the floor beside Darren and with a hard thud, Sheena stomps her foot onto his face.

The remaining man growls as he magically summons a metal pipe in his hand. Darren widens his eyes in shock and horror. Shock came from the fact that the man can magically summon an object in his hand and horror from the fact that he is about to attack the woman from behind.

As the blue-haired man yells and charges over to her, Sheena whirled about and swings her leg up.

_**THWACK!** _

The man cringed in pain and drops his pipe as Sheena's foot made contact with the bottom of his crotch. Sheena lowers it and throws her other leg at him, delivering a massive kick to his abdomen. The eyewitnesses quickly move aside as the kick sends the man sprawling through the floor.

Sheena lowers her leg and lets out a sigh of disappointment. She looks down at her fallen opponents, still lying on the ground in pain or in an unconscious state. She shakes her head and remarked, "Why do you guys even bother?"

As the people around them continue strolling through the marketplace as if they hadn't seen anything, Sheena began to make her departure.

"Wait!" Darren cried to her. Sheena stopped and turns her head to him. As his pain had faded away, Darren gets up from the floor and nods his head. "Thank you."

"Nah, you don't need to thank me. I was just bored and looking for people to bother." Sheena said nonchalantly. As she turns back to the front and tries to walk away again, Darren spoke up.

"Wait, ma'am. I hope you don't mind helping me once again but…I really don't know where I am and I have no money with me." Darren said.

"If you don't have any money, just go get a job. Simple as that." Sheena shrugged.

"But I don't know where to go next either." Darren added. "And I don't know what jobs you can do here."

Sheena sighs heavily again. She turns back to him with an arched brow and places her hands at the sides of her hip. "You keep saying that you don't know. Are you alright?"

"I think…and at the same time, no." Darren frowned as he looks down at his scabbard and tightens his grip on it.

Sheena stares wordlessly at Darren for a few moments. She hadn't seen this man around in this town before and despite being taller and perhaps slightly older than her, he has absolutely no clue on what's going on around him. Is he an amnesiac? If so, if he were to be left out here alone with no money and no one to turn to, he wouldn't survive out in the open for even a day. Sheena felt conflicted on whether to help this man though. She will never forget the misfortunes she had experienced in the past which eventually led her into becoming an outcast, but if she won't help him, who else will?

Sheena approached Darren and places her hand on his shoulder, causing him to look back at her.

"Very well, why don't you follow me for the time being?" She said.

Darren widens his eyes in surprise. Shortly after, a huge smile appears on his face and he said enthusiastically, bowing his head to Sheena with gratitude, "Thank you ma'am! You really are a kind person!"

Sheena stares blankly at Darren for a moment, completely caught off guard by his reply. Eventually, a small smile takes form on her face and her eyes softened. "No problem." She murmured.

As Darren looks back at her, he holds out his hand and introduced himself, "My name is Darren." He paused and turns his head away for a moment. He looks back at Sheena when he remembers his last name. "Darren Leong."

"At least you know your own name." Sheena smirked. She removes her hand from his shoulder and shakes his hand. "My name is Sheena. Sheena Fujibayashi."

As she turns around, Sheena gestures Darren to follow her and the two stroll through the marketplace together. She turns back to him and said, "So Darren, tell me everything you do know inside your head."

* * *

Darren woke up from his sleep as the sun shines brightly in the sky. He smiles blissfully as he rises up from his bed. Despite still having no idea how he first arrived to this town, the memory of meeting Sheena for the first time always helps bring him warmth and ease.

He turns to the scabbard which he placed beside him on his bed and picks it up. He grabs the hilt and pulls the object out from the scabbard, revealing it to be a katana.

Why did this object appeared alongside him is yet another unanswered question that still lingers in his mind. Until his training with Sheena, Darren has no memory of ever being a swordsman or a fighter. Yet this ancient sword still appeared with him upon waking up to this town. Although he has no idea why, Darren felt that he had to keep this object with him at all times. He still clings onto whatever hope he had that one day, he will finally know why this sword is with him and what it actually meant to him.

As Darren sheathes the katana back into the scabbard, he places it aside and turns his head, just as the door opens to reveal Sheena.

"Ohayo!" Sheena greeted with a grin. "Rise and shine!"

* * *

After changing into their casual clothes, Darren and Sheena step out of the apartment, preparing for another day of work. However, as soon as Darren closes the door, he gasped as he suddenly realized what he had forgotten to bring along with him.

"Crap!" Darren said, looking down on himself. "I forgot to put on my necklace!"

"Oh come on. You can work for one day without it." Sheena said to him.

"No Sheena! That necklace is special to me!" Darren cried, narrowing his eyes.

"It's your lucky charm, I guess." Sheena smirked and shrugs her shoulders. "Very well, go get it. But don't take too long, will ya?"

"I won't." Darren turns around, opens the door and reenters the apartment. After Darren closes the door behind him, Sheena turns and glances around the town to pass the time as she waits for her friend.

However, it didn't take long for Sheena to spot three figures, dressed in jackets and jeans, standing at the rooftop of one of the buildings at the other side of the road, spying at their apartment. Sheena frowned at them questioningly, immediately realizing that something strange is going on.

* * *

Darren walks through the living room and makes his way to the staircase…completely unaware that he had walk past a certain blonde-haired girl dressed in a white shirt and blue skirt.

"Hello sir!" Lucy greeted.

"Huh?" Darren stops and turns his head to Lucy.

"It's good to meet-" Lucy gets interrupted when Darren responded with a yell of shock. She watched in horror as Darren stumbled backwards and slams his back against the wall. He slides down and lands on the floor on his rear.

"Owww…" Darren moaned in pain as he rubs the back of his head.

"Ah! I'm so sorry for startling you! I didn't mean to do it on purpose!" Lucy cried as she waves her hands frantically.

After shaking his head and recovering from his fall, Darren looks up at Lucy and asked, "How did you get in here?"

"Well," Lucy rubs the back of her head sheepishly. "I would say that I summoned Virgo to help me and my friends unlock the window at the back of your apartment, but…" She hangs her head and her arms drooped at her sides. "Natsu had to burst through it without any second thoughts."

"Huh?" Darren said dumbfounded.

"That's right. There's a broken window, and kinda of a large hole at your kitchen right now. Sorry." Natsu said as he steps into the main area of the apartment along with Wendy, Gray, Erza, Happy and Carla. Darren stares at them incredulously as Natsu wipes off the dust from his jacket.

"Geez, you had to make a ruckus early in the morning and startling the person we came here for, don't you?" Gray chided Natsu.

"And what would you have done, huh?!" Natsu snapped at Gray. Lucy and Wendy sigh heavily while Erza shakes her head.

"So much for a pleasant first impression." Lucy mumbled.

"Hey guys!" Darren yelled exasperatedly as he gets up from the floor. "I want answers right now! What the hell are you all doing here?!"

"We are here to rescue you." Wendy replied as everyone look at him.

"What are you talking about?" Darren asked in confusion. Erza walks up to him as she folds her arms.

When she stood in front of him, Darren fell silent as Erza gave him a solemn frown. "You said you want answers, and we're happy to provide them."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone enjoy the story so far! And don't worry, even though we don't see Team Natsu much in this chapter, they will appear more often as the story goes on. Stay tune and read and review!
> 
> Darren Leong is an OC of mine. I know there are people who aren't used to OCs, but I still hope you will give him a chance.


	2. A New Adventure, Part 2

"We were assigned by the Magic Council to rescue you." Lucy said to Darren. Natsu grins at Darren as he holds up a document that is officially signed by the council.

"Why do I need rescuing?" Darren asked.

"A month ago, the Magic Council began receiving numerous reports from all over the country, saying that strange portals have mysteriously appeared and people have been falling out from them." Lucy explained. "The first known report came from Malba City. A woman named Doris appeared at the garden of one of the residents' home and they immediately report this to the Magic Council. When the knights arrived, Doris told them that she came from a different world and was suddenly transported here."

"During the questioning, the knights also discovered there were no traces of magic inside her. That is when we at Fairy Tail believe that the world Doris came from…is Edolas." Natsu added.

"Edolas?" Darren asked.

"Edolas was a parallel universe to our world. But unlike us, the people of Edolas do not possess magic. And because of it, the use of magic over there is limited." Wendy explained.

"That is why one time; Edolas began absorbing magic from Earth Land, our world. And our guild headquarters disappeared in the process." Erza added.

"But we were able to enter Edolas, had one of our former members reverse the device they used to absorb the magic from Earth Land, save our guild and return back home." Happy said.

"With the magic reversed, the people back in Edolas now have no magic at all." Carla said.

"That is why we believe you are from Edolas." Gray said.

"I'm…from Edolas?" Darren asked, frowning as he contemplates what the guild has told him. No matter how hard he tried though, he couldn't remember if he is from this world known as Edolas, or if he has ever heard the name before.

"Aye. Doris isn't the only person without magic who has mysteriously appeared in this world. The Magic Council has received several similar reports throughout Fiore and all of Earth Land. That is why they have assigned all guilds, including us, to travel around Earth Land and rescue these people. That includes you." Natsu explained.

"How did you guys know I'm one of them?" Darren inquired.

"Enhanced smell." Natsu answered with a grin, placing his fists at the sides of his hip. "See, Wendy and I are Dragon Slayers. And with our senses of smell that are as strong as a dragon, we can detect any of our targets with our noses." Wendy nods her head.

"Now that we've found you, we want you to come with us and head to Era. That's where the Magic Council headquarters is located and where other people without magic like you are being gathered." Erza said.

"Right now, we are tirelessly finding a way to transport you guys back to Edolas. Don't worry, we promise we'll take you home somehow." Lucy said reassuringly.

"Any other questions?" Gray asked.

"Actually I do." Darren said. The guild looked at him questioningly and there was a brief moment of silence. Darren arches a brow and tilts his head to the side as he asked curiously, "How do I smell?"

"Oh." Wendy said as she and Natsu hang their arms limply at their sides. Natsu scratches his head and Wendy twirls her fingers as they ponder how to respond. "Well…" She said nervously. "The scent is hard to describe but-"

"Do I really smell that bad? I just showered a while ago." Darren said before looking down and sniffing his arm.

"Nononononono!" Natsu cried as he and Wendy wave their hands frantically at him. "We were trying to-"

Erza interrupts with a loud groan and said to Darren, "This is not the time! We have to take you to Era now!"

Darren sighed and rubs his temples. He looks back up at the guild and said, "Alright. I'm actually still feeling confused about all of this. But if you guys truly are the number 1 guild in Fiore, I trust you enough."

Lucy smiled at him with her hands placed behind her back. "Welcome aboard, Darren!"

"Wait!" Darren cried abruptly, causing everyone to stare at him confused.

"What is it?" Gray asked perplexed.

"I forgot my necklace." Darren said, placing his hand on his chest.

Everyone sigh before Erza said to him, "Alright, but don't keep us waiting." Darren nods his head before rushing up the stairs.

* * *

Darren enters his room and found his necklace lying on top of the wooden drawer beside his bed. He hastily walks over to it and grabs it. After putting on the necklace around his neck, he turns his head and sees his scabbard lying on his bed.

Darren frowns at it. Knowing that this may be the last time he would ever set foot in Underwood for a while, Darren grabs the scabbard and holds it firmly in his hand as he leaves his room.

* * *

As two of the three men continue standing at the rooftop and spying on Darren's apartment, the third man stood a few metres away from the others and spoke to a lacrima ball in his hand.

"The boy has returned back into his apartment." The man reported.

"Keep an eye on him at all times, Jarek. Make sure nothing happens to him. They are coming here soon to collect him and I need that payment!" Maroro said to him at the other side of the line.

"Understood." Jarek said before turning off and putting away his lacrima ball into his jacket. He turns around and regroups with the others.

"That friend of his sure knows how to stand still." One of the men spying at Sheena and the entrance said.

Jarek leans forward and narrows his eyes. The man is right. It's been minutes since Darren returned back into his apartment, and Sheena is still standing like a statue at the entrance. But this obviously means something is wrong. Jarek glares at the man and yelled, "You fool! That is a divers-AGH!"

The two men are startled as someone suddenly jabs her hand at the side of Jarek's neck, causing him to yelp and collapse onto the floor as he falls into unconsciousness.

"You!" One of the men cried as they turn and gaze at Sheena in horror. Sheena yells furiously as she runs over and knocks them out.

After defeating the two men, Sheena turns back to the entrance of her apartment and snaps her fingers. The fake Sheena turns into clouds of smoke and a piece of paper gently falls onto the floor.

Shortly afterwards, the door opens and to Sheena's surprise, she sees Team Natsu stepping out of the building along with Darren.

"Sheena?" Darren said, widening his eyes as he looked around. But he couldn't find his friend anywhere. "Sheena!"

"Who's Sheena?" Wendy asked.

"She's my friend! She has been waiting for me outside but now she's gone!" Darren replied to her in alarm.

"Hey! Who are you guys?!"

Everyone turn to their right and see four thugs, armed with bats and swords walking over to them.

"No one goes near the man in black!" One of the thugs barked at them.

Natsu and Darren turn to each other. Gray places his hand firmly on Darren's shoulder. "I think he meant you." Gray said to him.

"Oh." Darren realized aloud.

"Looks like we have trouble." Lucy said, frowning as she pulls out her whip.

"What exactly do you guys want from him?!" Wendy yelled as Gray cracks his knuckles before getting into his fighting stance.

"You guys aren't taking him away from us! That man is under our custody!" One of them yelled in response as the thugs continue walking towards them.

"We'll be the judge of that!" Gray grimaced as he slams his fist onto his palm. Darren widens his eyes as breeze and light blue began illuminating on his hands.

"Natsu, Lucy, Happy! Take Darren away to safety!" Erza ordered. Darren watches her in awe as a sword and a set of armor magically appears on Erza's hand and body.

"Right!" Natsu replied before whirling about and grabbing Darren by his arm. "Come on! We're getting out of here!"

"Follow us!" Lucy added as she grabs Darren's other arm. She, Natsu and Happy fled to the opposite direction while dragging Darren along with them.

"STOP THEM! Do not let them get away from us!" One of thugs roared before three of them charge towards Wendy, Gray, Erza and Carla.

As he stays behind, one of the thugs pulls out a lacrima ball from his pocket and spoke to it, "Attention everyone! A blue exceed, a man with pink hair and a woman with blonde hair are getting away with our possession! Find them and stop them!"

"Attack!" Erza shouted before she, Wendy, Gray and Carla charge towards the thugs.

"ICE MAKE: ICE HAMMER!" Gray shouted as he summons a large hammer made of ice out from his hands and swings it down onto one of the thugs.

Another thug continuously swings his sword at Wendy, who quickly backs away from every swing. Carla flies over to her and grabs her by her tail. The exceed pulls her up into the air and the thug watches dumbfounded as Wendy's cheeks enlarged.

"SKY DRAGON'S ROAR!" Wendy blows out a huge hurricane-like blast from her mouth at the thug, sending him sprawling through the ground.

The two remaining thugs charge at Erza. One of them swings his bat vertically at her. Erza dodges the attack by simply turning to her side and jabs her elbow at the back of his head. As the thug stumbles over, Erza turns and kicks him at his back, sending him falling to the ground.

The last thug swings his sword diagonally at Erza from behind. Even with her eyes closed, Erza dodges the attack by sliding to the side. She whirls about and swings her left fist at the thug, punching him across his face. The thug yells as he swings his sword horizontally at her. Erza swiftly blocks the attack with her sword before throwing her left fist into his gut. As the thug gasps in pain as he bends over, Erza lifts her leg up and delivers a powerful kick to his bottom jaw with her knee, sending him falling over to the ground. Erza turns back to Gray and Wendy as Carla places the blue-haired girl gently back on the ground.

"Come on! Let's go after the others!" She ordered her teammates.

* * *

Natsu, Lucy and Darren ran through the streets of Underwood with Happy flying behind them.

"What do they want from me?!" Darren cried in a mixture of shock and confusion.

"I don't know! You probably got a bounty on your head or something!" Natsu yelled at him.

"Why would anyone do that on me?!" Darren cried incredulously.

"I wonder too. Usually, it's members of Dark Guilds that get wanted by the authorities, but you're no mage!" Lucy replied.

"THERE THEY ARE!"

Natsu, Lucy, Darren and Happy turn their heads as they kept running. They see several thugs coming out from an alleyway they pass by earlier, running after them with bats and swords in their hands. Some of them are unarmed, but are muscular and intimidating.

"Happy! Take Darren to the rooftop!" Natsu ordered his exceed friend.

"Aye!" Happy replied before flying behind Darren and wrapping his tail around his chest. "Hang on!"

Darren yelps as Happy flies up and lifts him up into the air. Meanwhile, Lucy and Natsu stop and turn around. Lucy pulls out one of her keys from her belt and holds it up into the air. "I CALLED UPON THEE, OPENING THE GATE OF MAIDEN!" She swings her key horizontally before shouting, "VIRGO!"

After swinging it down, a beam of light erupts from the tip of her key and lands onto the ground. A woman magically appears in front of her. She is about the same height as Lucy and has blue eyes, short pink hair and wears a typical maid outfit, consisting of a black under coat and a white, filled-trim apron. She also has shackles cuffed around her wrists.

"Virgo, use Spica Lock!" Lucy ordered.

"Hai." Virgo calmly replied before kneeling down and slamming her hands onto the ground. The thugs look around in shock and bewilderment as several rocks burst out from the ground and trap all of them inside a circular-shaped rocky prison.

"You'll pay for that!" Lucy and Natsu turn around to see another group of muscular thugs running over to them from behind.

One of them jumps into the air and slams his fist on the ground as he lands, creating waves of electricity that surge through the floor. Lucy shrieks as Virgo carries her up in her arms and she and Natsu jump out of the way before the electric waves reach them. Unfortunately, the thugs who were trapped inside the Spica Lock scream in agony as they get electrocuted. Moments later, the rocks fall off, revealing the once trapped thugs looking shell-shocked before swaying around and collapsing onto the floor.

While Natsu is still in the air, he slams his fists together, engulfing them in flames.

"FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FIST!" Natsu shouted in rage as he flies over to the thugs and punches one of them in the face. After the thug is sent sliding through the floor, the remaining thugs surround Natsu and one of them runs over to him.

As the thug swings his fist layered with steel at him, Natsu dodged by turning to the side and punches him on top of his head. As the thug falls to the ground, two more men run up to Natsu from behind. Before they could swing their bats, Natsu lifts his fists up, punching both of them directly in their faces. As the thugs drop their bats, Natsu turns around, grabs them by their heads and knocks them hard against each other. The thugs roll their eyes back before falling to the ground unconscious.

Another thug runs up to Natsu and delivers an overhead strike with his hammer. Natsu turns to him and grabs onto the head of the hammer. The thug stares at Natsu dumbfounded as he melts the hammer into molten lava. He opens his mouth wide and swallows the lava, causing Darren to drop his jaw as he and Happy watch the fight from the rooftop of a nearby building.

"Do my glasses need cleaning?" Darren said.

As the thug backs away in horror, Natsu tosses the now-melted hammer aside, licks his lips and wipes off the bits of lava from his mouth before giving him a fiendish grin.

"Thanks. It's just what I need." Natsu said. Suddenly, he throws his head back as his cheeks enlarge. The thugs watch in awe and horror as Natsu places his fists in front of his mouth before blowing out a huge tornado-like blast of fire. "FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!"

As he fired, Natsu turns himself around in a circle, causing the thugs to scream as they get hit by his enormous flaming attack.

"Incredible." Darren uttered.

"Aye. Natsu is one of the most powerful mages in all of Fiore. He is one of the reasons why our guild is number 1 in all of Fiore." Happy said with a smile.

Natsu blows out a heavy sigh after letting out all of the flames inside his body. He looks around and sees all of the thugs lying on the ground in defeat, covered with ashes and have goofy looks plastered on their faces. Virgo lands beside Natsu and gently places Lucy on the ground. Lucy and Natsu smile as they gave each other a high-five before turning and looking up at Darren and Happy at the rooftop.

"You guys okay?" Natsu asked.

"Yup!" Darren replied as he and Happy gave peace signs at them.

Lucy suddenly gasps and widens her eyes in shock as she felt a strange presence about to appear before Darren and Happy.

"LOOK OUT!" She screamed in horror.

Darren and Happy widen their eyes as a huge thug dressed in gray metallic armor lands on the rooftop and behind them. The two turn around and Happy scream as the thug gets up and looks down at them.

"You have proven yourself to be a nuisance, boy!" The thug said to Darren in a deep, booming voice.

"Why you!" Natsu growled as he jumps into the air and flies over to Darren, Happy and the thug as his fist engulfed in flames.

The thug sees Natsu flying over to him and draws out his broadsword. He swings his sword diagonally, causing Darren and Happy to hold up their arms and turn their heads away. The sword clashed against Natsu's flaming fist. But the impact of the blow sends Natsu falling back to the ground.

"Natsu!" Happy cried, watching his friend in horror.

"Virgo!" Lucy cried. Virgo leaps into the air and catches Natsu in her arms before landing back on the ground and placing him down.

Happy quickly flies up and wraps his tail around Darren. "Hang on!" Happy said. However, just as the exceed lifts Darren up in the air, the thug swings his fist at Happy, punching him across his face and sending him and Darren falling back onto the rooftop.

"HAPPY!" Natsu shouted in horror as he watches from the bottom.

As he laid on the rooftop, Darren looks up and gasps as he sees Happy struggling to get up. A moment later, Happy sighs as he falls back down with his eyelids closed. Natsu growls angrily, quivering with rage after seeing his closest friend passing out. He runs over to the building and flies up to the rooftop again.

Darren grits his teeth as he sits up, turns around and faces the armored thug who slowly approaches him and the unconscious exceed.

"Why are you doing this?!" Darren shouted at him.

"Our boss Maroro wants you to come with us." The thug responded.

"What? Maroro?!" Darren widens his eyes, shocked to hear the name of his boss.

As Natsu lands on the rooftop behind Darren and Happy, the thug continued as a fiendish grin takes form on his face, "Don't you know? The Abbey has been going around Earth Land, looking for people like you. And they will reward us a huge sum of jewels for handing you over to them!"

"Did I hear that right?" Lucy managed to say as she and Virgo look up at the thug in shock.

"The Abbey?!" Natsu cried.

"We are going to be filthy rich, and you scumbags will not take away our livelihood!" The armored thug yelled angrily.

Natsu roars as he charges at the thug. He swings his flaming fists several times at him, but the thug deflects them with his sword. When he sees an opening, the thug swiftly thrusts his hand and grabs Natsu by his neck. Natsu gasped in pain as he grabs the thug's fingers, trying to break free from his mighty grip. But it is useless as the thug lifts him up into the air.

"NATSU!" Lucy screamed in terror. Darren widens his eyes and drops his jaw in horror as well as he watches the display. Horrified to see Natsu being helplessly lifted into the air while the thug laughs evilly…and stunned that the display sent a wave of old memories at him, flooding into his head with the force of a tsunami.

* * *

Darren, dressed in a white short-sleeved shirt and brown pants, froze and helplessly watches a tall student lifting a shorter student up in the air while grabbing onto his collar. The shorter student grits his teeth as he turns to Darren and begged, "Please…help me!"

As the tall student turns his head and glares at him, Darren gasps as he felt his heart beating faster and soon finds himself gritting his teeth and clenching his fists tightly.

* * *

Darren continues gazing at Natsu and the thug as he sat there. Natsu lifts his leg up and kicks the thug's head several times. But the thug casually turns back to Natsu, grinning as if he is completely unaffected by his attacks.

"You are weak, boy!" The thug said mockingly. Natsu widens his eyes as the thug holds up his broadsword, pulling it back and…

"STOOOOPPPP!" Darren suddenly shouted as he finally regains his ability to move and gets up from the roof tiles. Without any second thought, Darren pulls out his katana from his scabbard and swings it diagonally at the thug just as he vertically swings his broadsword. The thug drops his jaw in shock as he finds himself clashing his sword against Darren's katana and the two stayed at a stalemate.

Natsu gasps as he lays eyes on the katana in Darren's hand. "That sword! It can't be!" He cried.

"Why you…" The thug growled menacingly at Darren. He tosses Natsu aside and backs away from Darren. He holds his sword up and swings it down onto Darren, who blocks his attack again as he holds up his katana. Darren turns to the side, causing the thug to stumble forward as he brings his sword down onto the roof tiles.

The thug turns his head and sees Darren getting into a fighting stance with his katana. The thug snarled as he gets back up. "If that's how you want to play, fine! I'll teach you a lesson by cutting off your arms!"

Darren and the thug yell as they charge towards each other. But as soon as they took a few steps forward, a familiar light brown-haired woman came charging towards the armored thug and throws a powerful punch across his face. After the thug drops his sword, the woman proceeds to deliver an uppercut to his gut. The punch not only caused the thug to gasp in pain, but also breaks his armor in the process. As his armor shattered into pieces, the thug moans as he rolls his eyes back and hung his head. Mickey snorted as she pushes the now unconscious man aside and cracks her knuckles.

"Mickey!" Darren said, smiling in relief as he lowers his katana.

Mickey turns to Darren and smiles back at him. "Hey Darren!" She greeted as she waves her hand. "I was busy managing my stall but I kept hearing a lot of ruckus from where I'm standing. So I ended up leaving my stall to search for the source, and this is what I ended up coming across. Now that it is taken care of, I should be getting back. See ya!"

"Yeah, see you around." Darren said, waving his hand back at her.

Mickey turns her head and sees Natsu standing in the distance. He looked surprised for a moment before a huge smirk takes form on his face. He gave a solemn nod to his former fellow guild member. Mickey smiles at him and nods her head back before she turns around and leaps away from the scene.

Natsu picks Happy up and cradles him in his arms, sighing in relief as he sees the exceed slowly waking up.

"Natsu!" He could hear Erza's voice.

Natsu turns around as Erza, Wendy, Gray and Carla came up to him from behind. Virgo jumps up to the rooftop and lands near the rest of the guild before setting Lucy down.

"Are you alright?" Lucy asked Natsu in concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks to him." Natsu said, gesturing to Darren. Wendy gasps as she stares at Darren's katana.

"Natsu…that sword…" Wendy uttered.

"I know. I felt the same sensation too." Natsu said to her. Erza walks up to Darren and places her hand on his shoulder.

"Are you fine?" Erza asked.

"Yeah…" Darren said, looking down at his katana. "And I…I think I remembered something…"

"STOP RIGHT THERE!"

Darren and Team Natsu look around and see several grappling hooks being thrown onto the sides of the rooftop. Several thugs climbed up to the top of the building, draw out their weapons and surround them.

"You shouldn't have been a naughty boy, Darren Leong."

Darren and Team Natsu turn their heads to the bottom of the building and see Maroro standing at the ground. Two more muscular thugs stood behind him.

As Maroro flashes a grin at them, Darren yelled at him, "Is it true?! Are you trying to sell me away to this group known as the Abbey?! Treating me like I'm some kind of item?!"

Maroro laughed in response. "Of course, you idiot. Ever since you told me that you have no magical abilities during that job interview, I realized that you are one of those people who have mysteriously showed up throughout Earth Land. True, I could have informed the Magic Council about you right away. But why should I when the Abbey actually rewards us with cash?"

Lucy grimaced at him. "You filthy pig! Choosing money over innocent lives! You are the kind of people that are lower than dark mages!" She shouted at him.

"Shut up, little lady!" Maroro snapped back, jabbing a finger at her. "I don't care if you guys are the number 1 guild in Fiore. Hand over Darren to us right now or I can keep sending my men to fight you all until the Abbey gets here. Then we'll see if you guys are stronger than them!"

Darren and Team Natsu look at the surrounding thugs, sneering at them as they get into their fighting stances.

"So be it." Erza said coldly. She holds up her sword and gets into her fighting stance as well.

"Yeah! We'll take you all down!" Natsu shouted at the thugs.

"Very well." Maroro said. "TAKE THEM DOWN!"

But just as the thugs yell and prepare to attack, a familiar woman jumps down from the sky and lands in front of Darren and Team Natsu. The thugs stopped and stare at the woman in bewilderment.

"Sheena!" Darren cried in relief as Sheena gets up and places her hands at the back of her head.

"Hey guys, how about a performance?" Sheena asked the thugs with a smirk. The thugs watch in confusion as Sheena looks down and places her hands all over her body. She looks back up at the thugs and asked, "Ummm, has anyone seen my marbles?"

One of the thugs snarled at her. "Screw this!" He yells as he charges towards Sheena and thrusts his dagger at her. Sheena dodges him by turning to side and swiftly wraps her arm around his neck. The thug gasped as Sheena uses her other hand to grab his wrist and gave it a twist, causing him to yelp as he drops his dagger. As Sheena places his hand behind his back and turns back to the thugs, who all flinch, she looks back at the man whom she had held hostage and smiled.

"Ah." Sheena inserts her hand into the thug's right ear and magically pulls out five marbles between her fingers. "There they are." She grins as she flicks her hand. Within a split second, the marbles now turn into a small pile of papers. Sheena swiftly throws the papers down on the roof tiles and in front of the thugs. The papers exploded, creating huge amounts of thick smoke that blinded the thugs.

"What?!" Maroro yelled in shock as he and the two thugs behind him watch.

The thugs continue coughing until the smoke is cleared. As they slowly open their eyes and regain their vision, they realize that Darren, Sheena and Team Natsu have completely vanished, much to their alarm.

"What the, where did they go?!" One of the thugs asked.

"T-T-They're gone!" Another one cried.

"What?! They have vanished?!" Maroro shouted in shock and anger. "Well don't just stand there! FIND THEM!"

* * *

After Virgo tied the beaten and unconscious thug up against a tree, Erza takes out a lacrima ball and speaks to it, "Lieutenant, we have retrieved the person with no magical abilities from the town of Underwood. We are going to meet up with you now."

" _Great work, Fairy Tail. Don't take too long though. The councilman is growing more impatient by the minute." The lieutenant replied._

"Understood." Erza said. When they have finished talking, Erza deactivates the lacrima and puts it away. She turns around as Gray, Natsu and Happy walk up to her. "We better get going."

"Right." Gray said. "We wish we could personally thank Mickey though. She is the one who contacted us about Darren's location in the first place."

"Oh don't worry." Natsu replied with a smirk. "She's got the memo."

"Thanks for your help again, Virgo." Lucy smiled at her Celestial Spirit as she holds up her key. "You may now return."

"It has been my pleasure, Mistress." Virgo gave Lucy a solemn bow before she glows white and returns back into the key. Lucy turns her head and sees Darren standing in the distance and staring out at the town of Underwood in the distance while holding onto his scabbard with his katana sheathed inside it in his hands.

Darren sighed inwardly, never knowing that one day, he would finally set foot outside of Underwood, and ready to venture the world beyond the boundaries of the town. Sheena walks up to him from behind and places her hand on his shoulder.

"Well, it looks like we can never go back there." Sheena said to Darren.

Darren shrugged and turns to Sheena. "I never like working at that crappy restaurant anyway." He said bluntly.

Sheena burst out laughing and gave Darren a wide smile. "Yeah! To hell with that place, right?" She asked.

"Yup!" Darren replied cheerfully before he and Sheena bump their fists together. The two turn around and see Natsu, Gray, Erza, Lucy, Wendy, Happy and Carla all smiling back at them.

"Are you ready to come with us?" Natsu asked.

"Yes." Darren nods his head.

"Since I know I'll get my butt kicked if I go back there, I guess I have no other options but to travel with you guys at the meantime." Sheena said, folding her arms.

"Thank you for helping us back there, Sheena. And it's good to have you coming along with us." Lucy said to her. Sheena frowned and gave a solemn nod to her and the guild.

Natsu turns around and exclaimed as he pumps his fist up, "Now then, let's go back to the ship and make our way to Era!"

"And bring Darren and the others safely back to Edolas!" Lucy added as she turns around as well and places her hands at the sides of her hip.

"Aye!" Happy added as he flies up in the air and spreads out his limbs.

"Actually, about that…" Darren spoke up.

"Huh?" Natsu said as he, Lucy, Happy and the others turn back to Darren. Sheena looked at her friend questioningly as well.

"Back then, during our fight with those men…I remembered something from my past…and I finally realized something…" Darren uttered.

"What is it?" Erza inquired.

"I'm not from Edolas." Darren responded. "I'm from Singapore."


	3. Under Attack

Things were quite uneventful for Darren, Team Natsu and Sheena as they walk through the forest and make their way to the Magic Council ship. Darren mostly spends the time away by explaining to Team Natsu and Sheena about what he remembered when he first arrived to Earth Land, as well as his own world and what he and other people usually do back there. They were intrigued to learn that the world Darren came from is quite similar to Edolas, and that they mostly perform their everyday duties with something known as 'technology'.

"Sooooo, the name of the world you came from is called 'Earth'?" Lucy asked.

"Yes." Darren replied.

"Are you sure it's not Earth Land?" Wendy asked.

"Yes! I've double and triple-checked that it's NOT Earth Land! Sheesh!" Darren cried exasperatedly as it is the umpteenth time he has made this confirmation with the members of Team Natsu.

"So if your world is called Earth, does that mean your world is just a rock?" Erza asked with her fingers placed at the bottom of her chin.

"Well, technically yes." Darren said.

"That's pretty boring." Gray remarked with an arched brow.

"And all along, we thought New York City is some place in Edolas." Natsu said as he scratches the tip of his nose.

"Huh?! How do you know that name?" Darren asked Natsu incredulously.

"Oh, that's the name of the place Doris says she's from." Natsu replied.

"Why didn't you tell me that back then?! If you had, I would have already regained my memories sooner!" Darren cried.

"Hey, we have to keep a lot of the information on you guys anonymous, ya know?" Natsu shrugged.

"What other places do these people say they are from?" Darren asked.

"Vladivostok."

"That's in Russia! A country in my world! What else?!"

"Paris."

"France! Anywhere else?"

"Chennai."

"India! Some more?"

"Bremerhaven."

"Germany!" Darren sighs as he turns his head away and rubs his temples. "Man, I feel like playing a game of  _'Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?'_." He looks up and turns his head around. "And how much longer do we have to walk through this forest? Every single tree looks the same! Is this even a naturally grown forest anymore? This feels like a sick joke of a Kaizo game designer's dungeon!"

"Whoa, Darren! Calm down. I haven't seen you this paranoid before." Sheena said as she followed him from behind.

"How can I calm down?!" Darren cried exasperatedly as he turns to Sheena. "This is exactly why I hated National Service back in my country! I should be at home right now, playing Overwatch, eating potato chips and watching anime!" For a brief moment, he holds up his scabbard and flashes a huge grin. "At least I have this katana though! I've always dream of holding a Japanese sword!"

"Japanese? What's that?" Sheena asked in confusion.

"Someone's going through puberty." Happy whispered to Carla as they walk.

"I'm 20 years old!" Darren snapped at Happy.

"I hate to break this fascinating conversation but we're here." Erza said bluntly as they step out of the boundaries of the forest.

Darren and Sheena widen their eyes in awe as they see a large light blue ship with white highlights in the distance. In front of the end of the ramp that leads to the entrance of the ship are three Rune Knights, armed with spears and dressed in light blue robes, white pants and black shoes. Two of them are also wearing white hats, but one of them isn't and he has bluish gray eyes and long dark purple hair which the tips are tied up with a yellow ribbon.

The purple-haired man slightly turns his head and sees Team Natsu standing in the distance. "Fairy Tail! It's good to see you again!" The man said.

Erza gestured Darren and Sheena to follow them. They walk over to the ramp to the ship and Erza reported to the man, "We have found the person we are looking for, Lieutenant Lowell."

Lieutenant Lowell turns to Darren and Sheena. "I thought you said person and not people." He said.

"Oh no, I do have magic inside me." Sheena said to the lieutenant before gesturing to Darren. "This is the person they are talking about."

"Who are you exactly?" The lieutenant asked Sheena.

"A companion of his." Sheena answered, placing a hand at the right side of her hip.

"Yeah, well, we'll explain later but let's say things happened and she ended up having to travel along with us." Lucy explained to the lieutenant.

The lieutenant nods his head to Lucy before taking out a scanner. Erza moves out of the way to allow the lieutenant to walk up to Darren. "Hold still." He said. Darren obliged and watches the lieutenant scan his body from top to bottom. A few seconds later, the lieutenant stood up and turns to Erza. "Yup. This person has no traces of magic inside him." He confirmed.

After Erza nods her head to him, the lieutenant turns back to Darren and extends his hand. "What is your name?" He asked.

"Darren Leong." Darren replied.

"Nice to meet you, Darren. My name is Lieutenant Yuri Lowell. I know you're still feeling a little confused of your current situation, but I can assure you that you're safe as long as you cooperate with us." The lieutenant introduced himself with a warm smile.

"Thank you, Lieutenant Lowell." Darren said as he shakes his hand.

"Lieutenant Yuri Lowell! Have they arrived back yet?!" A voice barked.

Everyone turn their heads up to the entrance of the ship to see an old man who wears glasses and black robes, staring down at them in annoyance.

"They're here, Councilman Ragou. They have just returned with our main priority." Yuri replied.

"Good! Now hurry up and get back inside so that we can return to Era already! And I hope Fairy Tail here didn't cause any ruckus back at Underwood! Sheesh!" Ragou scoffed at them before turning around and heading back inside the ship.

Yuri sighs heavily before turning back to the others. "He's been acting like that ever since you guys were in Underwood for the last 24 hours." He explained.

"Ugh, what exactly is wrong with that guy?" Natsu pouted with his arms folded. "I know we cause trouble all the time, but he really pisses me off."

"Wait, you guys cause trouble?" Darren asked questioningly.

Lucy chuckled nervously. "We'll explain."

* * *

After everyone get inside the ship, Yuri ordered his men to fly off and set course for Era. Meanwhile, Darren, Sheena and Team Natsu went inside a large resting room where two Rune Knights stood outside and guard the door. Darren and Sheena sat beside each other on two wooden chairs. Lucy and Wendy sat together on a bed at the left side of the room. Happy and Carla sat on another bed at the other side while Natsu, Gray, and Erza stood in front of Darren and Sheena. As they rest, Team Natsu took the time to explain Darren and Sheena about their story. Of how the guild was first founded, and how they got their reputation as the number one and most powerful guild in all of Fiore…and how they are also the most infamous.

"So let me get this straight. Natsu once burst into the Magic Council Fiore Branch Building for trying to rescue Erza while she was being put on trial," Darren said. The members of Team Natsu nod their heads. "And then when you guys won a competition known as the Grand Magic Games, you guys got into trouble when Natsu stole the King's clothes and disguised himself as the King of Fiore during the banquet?" They nod again. "And then the following year, Natsu melted the arena and burn the clothes of several people who were just there to participate or watch the Games," They nod once again. "And then Natsu set the King's palace on fire just to announce your guild's revival?" They nod their heads one more time.

"Well, I gotta say…" Darren widens his eyes as he bellowed, "With such a bad conduct like that, it's no wonder why the Magic Council shows scorn towards all of you and sent one of their members to monitor you!"

"Who saw that coming?" Lucy deadpanned as she asked her fellow guild members.

"Yup." Natsu responded as he, Lucy, Gray, Erza, Wendy, Happy and Carla raise their hands.

"Huh?! How can you guys be so casual about this?!" Darren asked incredulously.

"And I thought Phantom Lord is even worse." Sheena murmured.

"Hey! Don't compare us to Phantom Lord!" Natsu muttered. "Our guild may be seen as troublemakers, but they on the other hand, are a disgrace to all guilds across Earth Land."

"Indeed. After what they did to us years ago, they will forever serve as a warning about a guild destroying itself over spite and envy." Erza added solemnly. Sheena frowned and lowers her head after hearing those words.

"Sheena?" Darren asked his friend in concern.

"Ahem." Natsu coughed. Darren turns back to the Dragon Slayer who stares at him solemnly as he places his hands on the sides of his hip. "But now, there's something else Wendy and I want to talk to you about, and it's regarding your sword."

"My katana?" Darren asked in confusion.

"Hai." Wendy said. "That sword…when Natsu and I felt it with our dragon senses…we could also feel the presence of our guild's founder, Mavis Vermillion." Lucy, Gray, Erza, Happy and Carla gasped.

"Wendy…Natsu…are you sure?" Lucy asked.

"No doubt about it." Natsu responded.

"Then that means Mavis isn't entirely dead after all!" Gray said.

"But how?" Erza added.

"Umm, what are you guys talking about?" Darren asked, perplexed by the ongoing discussion.

"Darren, you said that you woke up with this sword beside you, right?" Natsu asked.

"Yes." Darren nods his head.

"Maybe…" Wendy frowned. "Is it possible that while in death, Mavis bestow this weapon on you during your arrival to this world?"

There was a moment of silence in the room, before Darren burst out laughing.

"Sorry but if you guys are saying that I'm a Superman or Luke Skywalker, then you are-"

_**BOOM!** _

Everyone in the room scream when they felt a huge explosion that cause the entire left side of the ship to shake and rumble, and causing everyone except Happy and Carla to fall onto the floor.

A moment later, Erza sits up from the floor and cried, "Everyone! Are you alright?!"

"Mm fineh…" Natsu responded, but his voice is muffled.

"Yeah, I'm good." Darren replied as he gets up, kneeling down on a single knee and placing a hand on his wooden chair.

Lucy moans as she lifts her head up. "I'm al…right…" She trails off when she finally opens her eyes and looks down. She drops her jaw, realizing that her breasts are pressed onto Natsu's face as he lies below her. Lucy screams in horror as she quickly gets off of Natsu and wraps her arms around her chest. Natsu, still oblivious, takes the moment to catch his breath.

"Well, that was awk…ward…" Darren trails off when he turns his attention to Erza, who is still sitting on the floor with her legs spread out. Erza frowns at Darren for a moment before looking down to see what he is staring at. She drops her jaw in shock and quickly places her hands down on her skirt to cover up her underwear.

"I totally wasn't expect-" But Darren soon gets cut off when Erza looks up and shot a cold glare that instantly sends chills down his spine.

"Ever do that again and I'll shove my sword down your throat." Erza said darkly. With his eyes wide and his body trembling, Darren responded to her with a slow nod.

"What the hell just happened?" Sheena asked as everybody gets up from the floor and stand back up.

"Only one way to find out." Natsu whirled about as he, Gray and Wendy rush to the door.

"Sheena, we could use your help." Erza said to Sheena.

"Sure thing." Sheena shrugged.

"Lucy, Happy, Carla, stay here with Darren." Erza ordered her teammates.

"Am I really just going to stay here?" Darren complained. "I can fight too, you know."

"Yes you can, but the fighting skills I taught you are only for self-defense. This is actual head on combat!" Sheena replied.

"What's the difference?!" Darren cried incredulously.

"Swing your sword at me." Sheena said flatly.

Darren narrows his eyes at her before grabbing the hilt of his katana. But as soon as he tries to pull it out from the scabbard, Sheena slaps his hand off from the hilt and gave a light punch to his chest. Darren yelps as he backs away and rubs his chest.

"You're not ready, Darren. So just stay here with Lucy and the exceeds." Sheena said to him.

"But I-" Before Darren could protest, he cuts himself off when Sheena pouts and jabs a finger at his face. She points her finger downwards, gesturing him to stay put. Darren groans and rolls his eyes in response. As Darren sat back down on his chair, Sheena and Erza turn around and leave the room, joining Natsu, Gray and Wendy into battle.

"Don't worry, Darren. You still got us." Lucy smiled. Darren turns to her and sees her now sitting at the right side bed with Happy and Carla.

Darren sighs heavily before asking the three, "Got any clue who would come and attack us?"

"Probably the Abbey." Lucy said solemnly as she folds her arms. "Ever since people of your kind showed up, they too suddenly made their appearance known across Earth Land. According to the Magic Council, they have already invaded some of the towns in the southern part of Fiore and form a territory of their own."

"The Rune Knights did try to fight them back, but the Abbey continues to invade and conquer more parts of Fiore even as we speak." Carla added.

"It feels like Alvarez Empire all over again." Happy said grimly as he shudders.

"There had to be a reason why they would suddenly appear, and around the same time I showed up in this world too." Darren said as he adjusts his glasses.

"That's exactly what we are wondering too." Lucy said.

* * *

In the hallway at the left side of the ship, Yuri and six Rune Knights stare in horror as they see the sharp tips of several large harpoons pierced through the metal walls. They stumbled as they now feel their ship being pulled.

"Lieutenant Yuri Lowell, what is going on?!" Ragou cried as he hastily walks down the hallway, looking extremely flustered.

"What does it look like, Councilman?!" Yuri shouted at Ragou as he and his men regain their balance. "We are being attacked! Stand back!"

"How dare you raise your voice at me?! I was just asking a question!" Ragou yelled at him angrily. As Ragou continues his rumblings, Yuri rolls his eyes before turning to his knights and gestures two of them to escort the councilman to safety. The two knights gently grab Ragou's arms and take him away despite his protests to release him.

Yuri turns to the remaining four knights with him and unsheathes his sword from his scabbard. "All units! Prepare to engage in battle!" He commanded.

* * *

Outside of the Magic Council ship is another ship flying alongside it. It is larger in size and has several harpoon cannons lined up in a vertical row at the starboard. The sides of the ship are colored white with yellow highlights. Its large sails are also white and each has a symbol plastered on it. The symbol is yellow and resembles a combination of a crescent and a three-pointed star.

The knights operating the cannons watch the Magic Council ship being slowly pulled towards their own ship. The knights are dressed in white metallic helms that conceal their faces. They wear short white capes, white long-sleeved leather robes with yellow highlights and blue bands around the top of their long white and yellow gloves. They also wear black pants, white long legged boots and silver metallic sabatons to protect their ankles and feet.

Another knight approaches the starboard and stood alongside the cannon operators. His appearance is distinguishable from the other knights. He wears a white conquistador helmet and a gold mask with a teal visor and a black breathing apparatus around his mouth, concealing his face. He is also dressed in a gold suit underneath his white armor with blue highlights. On the center of his armor is the yellow symbol plastered on it and has a double-edged naginata attached onto his back.

"Sir, we have secured the enemy ship." One of the regular white knights said to the knight in gold. He has a long blue feather at the back of his helmet to be identified as a squad leader.

"The magicless human is somewhere on that ship. Find him, and eliminate all who stand in our way." The knight in gold boomed in a deep, distorted voice.

"Yes, Mala Makra sir." The squad leader said with a solemn nod. He turns to the other knights and ordered, "Everyone! Arm yourselves and prepare for battle!"

The regular knights pull out their swords from their scabbards at the side of their hips while the squad leader holds out his hand and magically summons a spear.

When the Magic Council ship is now right beside their ship, Mala draws out his naginata. He and the squad leader aim their weapons at the Magic Council ship while the other knights stand back. They fire two blasts of bright magic at the ship, damaging the walls and creating an opening.

When the smoke is cleared, Yuri and the Rune Knights look up to see their enemies standing right in front of them.

"Praetors…" Yuri uttered.

"MOVE!" The squad leader yelled before he and the praetors climb over the railings and leap into the enemy ship. Most of the praetors proceed to fight against the Rune Knights while seven of them turn to their right and enter deep into the ship.

Yuri tries to stop them but two more praetors quickly place themselves in front of him. Yuri snarled at them before the praetors run up to him. One of them swings his sword diagonally at Yuri. He quickly holds up his sword to block the attack and pushes the praetor away from him. The other praetor delivers an overhead strike with his sword. Yuri quickly moves to the side and thrusts his sword into the praetor's abdomen. After stabbing him, Yuri kicks the praetor off from his sword and turns back to the other who swings his sword horizontally at him. Yuri retaliates by doing a backwards somersault and kicks the sword off of the praetor's hand in the process. When Yuri lands back down on his feet, he swings his sword diagonally and slashes the praetor, who collapses onto the floor in defeat.

Yuri turns his head and watches three of his men being easily taken down by the other praetors. The last Rune Knight gets stabbed at the side of his gut by the squad leader's spear. The squad leader removes his spear and kicks him to the floor. The Rune Knight looks up and helplessly watches in fear as the squad leader walks up to him.

"No!" Yuri shouted as he tries to help his fellow knight. But two more praetors place themselves in front of Yuri and swing their swords down at him. Yuri quickly holds up his sword and blocks their combined attack. The squad leader holds up his spear and lunges it down, stabbing the Rune Knight through his chest.

"Dammit!" Yuri cried as he watches his fellow soldier die.

"CIRCLE SWORD!"

The squad leader looks up for a brief moment before a circular blast of white magic comes flying towards him and strikes him and two other praetors standing behind him down.

"What?" One of the praetors said as he and the other turn their attention away from Yuri and see Erza, now dressed in her Heaven's Wheel Armor, standing in the distance. While they are distracted, Yuri takes the opportunity to deliver an attack of his own.

"SEVERING FANG!" Yuri shouted in rage as he pushes their swords back by leaping into the air. The impact of his push sends the two praetors flying into the air. While the three are in midair, Yuri swings his sword downwards, creating a curved blast of white magic and strikes the two praetors with it, sending both of them slamming down onto the floor. Yuri landed back down safely and looks down at his fallen Rune Knights. He closes his eyes for a moment to give a silent prayer before looking back up at Erza, who stood boldly while holding her two winged swords in her hands.

Both of them gave each other a nod when suddenly, another wave of praetors leap into the ship. The squad leader gets up and orders them as he aims his spear at Erza, "Everyone, take them down!"

Sheena suddenly runs past Erza and over to the squad leader. The squad leader watches dumbfounded as Sheena places her hands on his shoulders and jumps into the air. She looks down at him and places a paper onto the front of his helm. Sheena lands back down on the floor behind the squad leader while he tries to get the paper off of his helm but to no avail. She leaps back, landing beside Yuri, and swiftly made several gestures with her fingers and more papers magically appear all over the squad leader's body.

The papers illuminate in purple light before they explode and create a huge cloud of smoke around the hallway. The other praetors cough and look around, trying to regain their vision and find their enemies. However, Sheena runs over to one of them and did a flying kick to his head. Shortly after her feet touch the floor, Sheena did a somersault and places her hands on the ground. She did a handstand, performs a twirling kick and knocks out several praetors around her.

Erza and Yuri also take the opportunity to swing their swords and take down the remaining praetors. When the smoke is cleared, all of the praetors are defeated and Erza, Yuri and Sheena stood together back to back.

"Phew, that was easier than I thought." Sheena smiled as she stretches her arms.

"Look out!" Yuri exclaimed as he sees Mala Makra jumping over to their ship. As Mala prepares to swing his naginata down at them, Erza and Sheena quickly run away to their left while Yuri goes to the right. They turn back to Mala as he lands and slams his naginata down on the floor.

"You had to jinx us, don't you?" Erza chided Sheena as she gets back into her fighting stance.

"How would I know there's one more?!" Sheena snapped at her.

Mala stood up and turns to Erza. "So, you must be Titania." He said.

"Glad to know that I'm a celebrity within the Abbey as well." Erza smirked at him.

Mala turns to Sheena and said, "Judging by your outfit and your fighting skills, you are from Mizuho."

Sheena gasped in shock. The mentioning of her hometown has caused the color on her face to drain. "H-h-how…do you know?" She asked with her voice trembling.

Mala finally turns to Yuri who is also in his battle stance. "And you are Lieutenant Yuri Lowell."

Yuri widens his eyes upon hearing his name. He glares at his enemy again and asked, "How do you know my name?!"

"Let's see if you are truly worthy of your rank." Mala said. He crouches down and holds his weapon up to the level of his head, getting into his fighting stance. Erza and Yuri yell as they charge towards him, but Sheena stood where she is, still frozen in shock.

When they are near and swing their swords vertically at him, Mala stood up and blocks their attacks at the same time with the blades of his naginata. He did a swift twirl, causing Erza and Yuri to back away from him. Mala turns to Erza and twirls his double-edged naginata around, delivering a series of diagonal strikes at her. Erza manages to block every attack he throws at her. But the strength and impact of every strike Mala delivers cause her to back away. Mala manages to knock out one of Erza's winged swords from her hand. After he delivers another diagonal strike at her, Erza quickly grabs the hilt of her remaining sword with both hands and blocks his attack. The two stayed in a brief stalemate until Yuri runs up to Mala from behind.

Mala briefly turns his head to see Yuri thrusting his sword at his back from behind. Mala quickly backs away from Erza and jumps into the air, performing a backwards somersault over Yuri. Yuri stops and lowers his sword before Mala lands back on the floor.

Yuri turns around and swings his sword horizontally at Mala. Mala blocks the attack with the hilt of his naginata. He aims his naginata at Yuri's midsection and thrusts his weapon. Yuri parried and deflects Mala's naginata to the side with his sword. Yuri counter thrusts at Mala, who turns to his right and the attack missed. Mala performs a diagonal downward slash. Yuri swings his sword diagonally upwards and their weapons clash.

"Is that the best you can do?" Mala asked as he and Yuri stayed in a stalemate.

Suddenly, Erza runs up to Mala, holding both of her swords again. She swings her swords diagonally downwards at him. Mala dodges her attack by leaping away from her and Yuri.

Mala suddenly gave a hard pull of the hilt of his naginata, separating the two halves of his weapon into two swords.

Yuri and Erza stare in awe for a brief moment before the latter turns back to Sheena who is still standing there in shock.

"Come on Sheena! Snap out of it!" Erza shouted at her. But she fails to get any response from her.

"I was expecting more from the both of you." Mala said mockingly to his enemies as he gets into a fighting stance with his swords.

"Just you wait." Erza growled as she looks back at him. She and Yuri yell furiously as they charge at him once more.

* * *

"How on Earth Land did the Abbey find us?! And I thought this was going to be a simple escort mission!" Ragou cried exasperatedly as he sat at his desk while his two escorts leave the room.

"Stay in here, councilman. And don't leave." One of the Rune Knights said firmly to him before closing the door.

Shortly afterwards, the Rune Knights get into their battle stances with their spears as they see a group of seven praetors making a turn at the end of the hallway.

"Where is the magicless boy?!" One of the praetors demanded as they hold up their swords.

"We won't tell you anything." One of the Rune Knights replied.

"So be it." The praetor responded. "Attack!"

As the praetors charge towards them, Natsu suddenly appears behind them as he skids through the floor. With a fiendish grin on his face, he slams his fists together and crouches. "Hey guys." He announced. The praetors stop and turn around to see Natsu doing a running jump as he pulls back his right fist which is engulfed with fire. "FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FIST!"

Natsu flies over to the praetors and easily took down three of them with a single punch of his flaming fist. After Natsu and the now unconscious praetors land on the floor, the dragon slayer grins as he turns around. "I took down three."

The remaining four praetors run up to Natsu, preparing to attack him with their swords.

"ICE MAKE: FLOOR!" Gray suddenly shouted as he slams his hands onto the ground, creating a large layer of ice across the floor. Natsu jumps away to the side and all four praetors to slip and fall as the ice form beneath their feet.

"Four for me." Gray smirked as he places his hands on the sides of his hip. Natsu turns to him and growls.

"SKY DRAGON'S WAVE WIND!" Wendy cried as she swings her hand and creates a tornado at the praetors, including those who are unconscious. Gray steps aside as the tornado sends the praetors flying towards the wall and slamming them against it.

"And seven for me!" Wendy said cheerfully with a wide smile.

Natsu and Gray frown at her in a mixture of shock and disappointment as they said inside their heads,  _'Damn you, Wendy…'_

* * *

Erza swings her right winged sword vertically downwards on Mala, who quickly blocks the attack by holding up his left sword. Erza attempts to swing her other sword horizontally at the side of Mala's torso. However, Mala quickly blocks the strike with his right gauntlet. He pushes Erza's left sword away and thrusts his right sword at her midsection. Erza leaps back to dodge his attack and Yuri runs past her.

"AZURE STORM!" Yuri shouted, swinging his sword vertically twice and firing two magical blasts at Mala. Mala twirls his swords around to deflect the blasts. After the blasts dissipate, Mala swings his swords horizontally at them.

"DESTRUCTIVE FIELD!" He boomed as two horizontal waves of explosions erupted from the floor and head towards Erza, Yuri and Sheena like a tidal wave. Yuri turns around and grabs hold of Sheena while Erza stood in front of them and swings both of her swords in a delta formation.

"TRINITY SWORD!" Erza shouted, firing two curved magical blasts that formed a giant V towards Mala's attack. The two magical attacks collide, creating a large cloud of smoke that consumes the hallway.

Yuri coughs for a moment before nudging Sheena's shoulder. "Sheena! I don't know why you are spacing out all of the sudden, but I need you to pull yourself together! Help us out!" Yuri shouted in her ear.

After finally regaining her senses, Sheena shakes her head and looks back at Yuri dumbfounded. Yuri sighs in relief. Yuri turns his head around and sees Mala running up to Erza and swiftly knock both of her winged swords out from her hands. Erza gasps as Mala proceeds to thrust his swords at her midsection.

Suddenly, Sheena appears between them and swiftly grabs Mala's wrists, stopping him from stabbing Erza by only a few inches. Mala turns to Sheena in shock and the woman growls at him.

"I will not…let anyone get hurt!" Sheena yelled furiously. To the surprise of Mala, Erza and Yuri, Sheena gave the knight's arm a twist, tosses him to the floor and slams him down on his back.

Mala quickly recovers from the blow and rolls away from Sheena and Erza. He gets up from the floor and holds up his swords. But to his surprise again, Sheena magically summons her paper and throws it at his chest.

Sheena charges towards the knight and Mala prepares to swing his swords horizontally back at her. "DESTRUCTIVE-" Before he could finish announcing, Sheena jumps into the air, performs a somersault and delivers a downward vertical kick onto his head.

Mala stumbles backwards after Sheena kicks the top of his head and lands back down on the floor. Sheena suddenly charges up to him and performs a series of horizontal kicks across his face. After deliver one last kick across his face, Sheena yells as she thrusts her fingers onto the paper on the chest. Sheena leaps away and Mala gasped right before the paper explodes, sending him falling to the floor on his back. When the smoke is cleared, Sheena turns her head back at her opponent lying on the ground.

Mala groans as he gets up from the floor and holds up his swords, getting back into his fighting stance.

"I will not…lose to-" Mala is interrupted when a praetor leaps into the ship and swings what appears to be a large demonic claw down onto Sheena. Sheena leaps back from the praetor in time before she brought it down onto where she originally stood, leaving a huge mark.

The praetor gets up and turns to Sheena, Erza and Yuri as she stood in front of Mala. She is dressed to the other praetors, but with different colors. She wears a short blue cape, grey long-sleeved leather robes with yellow highlights and blue bands around the top of her long grey and yellow right glove. She wears a silver metallic gauntlet around her right forearm, black pants, grey long legged boots and silver metallic sabatons. Unlike the other praetors, she doesn't wear a helm, revealing her face, gold-brown eyes and her long black hair tied to a wide and messy braid. But what is most distinguishable about her is that her entire left arm was huge, long and goes all the way down to her lower legs. The arm has jagged edges protruding her fingers and forearm and it is colored black on the exterior and blood red underneath.

"What is this?" Erza uttered as she, Sheena and Yuri gaze at the praetor's demonic claw in awe.

"I don't need your help, Velvet Crowe!" Mala yelled as he lowers his swords.

"I was getting tired of watching your ass kicked by these scoundrels." Velvet replied as she turns to Mala. She snorted before finishing, "And you call yourself a captain." Velvet turns her head back to Erza, Sheena and Yuri, who all get back into their fighting stances.

"I would fight with you, but our time is precious." Velvet deadpanned. She curls the sharp fingers of her demonic arm into a large fist before turning to the wall and throws a punch at it, creating a huge opening that leads to the engine room.

"Let's go find the magicless man already!" Velvet barked at Mala before the two run their way into the engine room.

"Magicless man?" Sheena uttered as she, Erza and Yuri widen their eyes.

"They are after Darren!" Erza yelled in alarm. "STOP THEM!"

Before Erza, Sheena and Yuri could enter through the opening; Mala turns around, swings his swords horizontally at the ceiling and shouted, "DESTRUCTIVE SLASH!"

Two strong gusts of wind slash at the ceiling. It is followed by several explosions at the ceiling, which causes a pile of debris to fall in front of Erza, Sheena and Yuri and block the opening.

"This way!" Yuri yelled. The three turn to their left and run down the hallway.

Meanwhile, Velvet and Mala make their way to the other side of the engine room. Velvet punches her demonic fist through the wall again and created another opening, leading to the hallway at the other side of the ship.

* * *

Natsu, Gray, Wendy and the two Rune Knights run down the hallway until they see Velvet and Mala Makra heading to the door that leads to the room where Darren, Lucy and the exceeds are taking refuge.

"They are trying to get to Darren! That's why they are here!" Wendy cried.

"Come on!" Natsu yelled before he, Gray, Wendy and the knights dash their way over to the two.

Velvet kicks the door open to their room, startling Lucy, Darren, Happy and Carla. As Velvet and Mala nonchalantly walk into the room, Lucy jolts up from the bed and grits her teeth as she draws out one of her Celestial Spirit keys.

Velvet and Mala turn their heads to Darren, who holds up his scabbard and firmly grasps it. Despite their size, Happy and Carla place themselves in front of Darren, trying to protect him from the praetors.

"That's him." Velvet said, narrowing her eyes at Darren.

As she and Mala approach Darren, Lucy shouted as she swings her key upwards, "I CALLED UPON THEE-"

Within a second, Velvet swiftly charges towards Lucy and grabs her raised arm with her demonic claw. Lucy cries in pain as Velvet tightens her grip.

"Please…don't waste my time." Velvet said icily with a mixture of anger and irritation.

"Lucy!" Natsu cried as he, Gray, Wendy and the Rune Knights enter the room. Velvet whirls about and tosses Lucy over to them. Lucy screams as she is thrown through air and Natsu catches her in his arms. As Natsu skids through the floor backwards, Gray, Wendy and the Rune Knights run past him and Lucy.

The Rune Knights aim their spears at Mala and charge towards him. Darren watches as Mala turns around and swings his right sword diagonally, breaking the tip of one of the knight's spear. He swiftly thrusts his left sword at the knight and stabs him through the chest. Darren froze in horror as he watched a man being killed in front of him.

As the other knight runs up to him, Mala delivers a massive kick to his abdomen. The knight yelps in pain as he backs away. Mala removes the sword from the knight's chest and swings both of his swords vertically at the other knight, slashing his body from top to bottom.

As both Rune Knights collapse onto the floor, Gray yells in rage as he charges towards Mala and swings his ice sword horizontally at him. Mala Makra holds up both of his swords diagonally to block his attack.

Wendy jumps into the air and generates wind around her feet. "Sky Dragon's Claw!" Wendy exclaimed as she did a continuous somersault towards Velvet. Velvet swings back her right arm, withdrawing a long sharp blade from the bottom of her right gauntlet. She swiftly holds the blade in front of her face and blocks Wendy's attack as the Dragon Slayer swings her feet down on her weapon.

Wendy leaps back and while in mid-air, continues to do a few twirling kicks at Velvet, who blocks her attacks with her blade. Velvet swings her demonic claw at Wendy and grabs her leg, much to her shock. Velvet yells as she turns and swings her claw down, slamming Wendy onto the floor and causing her to cry in pain.

"Wendy!" Darren and Carla both cried in horror as they watch the young girl getting hurt.

Mala lets loose a series of strikes at Gray, who can barely keep up with him to block his attacks with his ice sword. However, Mala manages to thrusts his sword and slashes past Gray's right shoulder. Gray cries in pain as he lowers his sword and grabs his shoulder wound. Mala takes the opportunity to deliver a massive kick to his chest which sends Gray falling to the floor on his back.

Lucy throws her whip at Velvet and wraps it around her right arm. Velvet turns her head to see Lucy pulling her whip to restrain her while Natsu charges towards her with a flaming fist. He lets out a furious yell as he pulls his flaming fist back.

Velvet responds by ducking down and sliding her leg across the floor, sweeping Natsu's feet off from the ground when he got near her. As Natsu falls, Velvet jumps through the air and twirls several times before landing in front of Lucy. Lucy gasped as Velvet swings back her right arm, pulling the whip out of her hand. As the whip loosens around her right arm and drops onto the floor, Velvet approaches Lucy with a cold glare.

Darren gasped as he sees Lucy backing away from Velvet in fear. Happy and Carla flies up to Mala and grabs his arms. But Mala easily swings his arms and tosses the exceeds away from him. Darren turns back to Mala as he approaches him with both swords in his hands.

"Your friends are pathetic and useless, just like you. But you come with us; we will not only spare your life, but also make you a far stronger person than they ever were." Mala said.

Darren rolls his eyes and chuckled nervously. "If you are going to use the Darth Vader dialogue on me, no thanks. I'm better off with them." He replied to Mala.

"Fine." Mala boomed. He holds up one of his swords and prepares to deliver a downward vertical strike at Darren's right arm. "Perhaps cutting off your arm will change your mind!"

"Aaaahhh!" Darren cried as he turns his head away and holds up the scabbard in front of him right before Mala swings down his sword on it.

To the surprise of everyone present in the room, the scabbard briefly illuminate with bright white light and the clash created an impact that sends Mala flying through the air and across the room.

"What?!" Velvet turns her head for a brief moment before Mala collided against her and they both drop to the floor.

Natsu growls as he gets up from the floor.

"Lucy! Stand back!" Natsu yelled at his friend. Lucy obliged and runs away while Natsu places his fists in front his mouth. His cheeks enlarge and he blows out a large and powerful blast of fire at Velvet and Mala while they are down.

"FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!" Natsu bellowed. The blast sends Velvet and Mala flying through the doorway and crash through several walls. They were then thrown out of the Magic Council ship and crash through the side of their own ship.

The two praetors crash into the engine room of their ship and slam against the main engine. This causes the engine to malfunction and several explosions began erupting around their ship.

Back at the Magic Council ship, Wendy cried as she rushes over to Gray's side, "Gray!"

Gray kneels on the floor in pain as he grabs onto his shoulder wound. Wendy gently removes his hand and places her own hands onto his wound. She closes her eyes as teal light illuminates from her hands and Gray's wound closes up.

"Are you okay, Darren?" Happy asked as he and Carla flies up to him.

"Y-y-yeah…" Darren struggled to say, still feeling traumatized by his encounter with Mala and witnessing the death of two Rune Knights in front of his eyes.

"Darren!" Erza yelled as she, Sheena and Yuri entered the room. They see two Rune Knights lying dead on the floor. But thankfully, Darren is still alive, along with the rest of Team Natsu.

"Where are the praetors?" Yuri asked.

"We defeated them." Lucy replied.

"We totally kick their ass-WOAH!" Natsu gets cut off when their ship rumbled and tilts to the side, causing everyone to yell as they stumble over.

"Are we going down?" Lucy asked as everyone regains their balance.

Natsu tilts his head to the side and sees both the Magic Council and Abbey ships heading towards the ground through the several holes he had created. He turns back to Lucy and replied, "Yes. We are."

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Everyone present in the room suddenly scream in terror as they latch onto whatever is beside them and hang on for their dear lives as both ships tilt to the side and plummet through the air.

A few moments later, the Abbey ship crash onto the ground and slide through the forest along with the Magic Council ship still latched onto its starboard.

* * *

After a minute had pass, everyone present in the resting room cough heavily as the thick smoke around them dissipates. Erza gets up and looks around. "Is everyone alright?!" She asked in alarm. Darren, Sheena, Yuri and Team Natsu got up as well.

"I'm fine." Darren responded.

"Me too." Natsu said.

"So am I." Lucy added.

"I'm good." Gray said.

"Same." Sheena said.

"I've been through worse." Yuri replied.

"We're good!" Wendy cried as she, Happy and Carla raise their hands, and paws.

Erza sighs in relief and leans against the wall beside her. "What a day." She muttered.

"LIEUTENANT LOWELL! WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!" A familiar voice shouted.

Yuri groans and rolls his eyes before turning his head. Behind Darren were several gashes on the metal wall that formed during the crash. Everyone in the room could see Ragou standing behind the wall through the gashes as he bellows at them.

"FAIRY TAIL! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT! ALL OF THIS HAPPENED BECAUSE OF YOU! AND YOU TOO, LIEUTENANT LOWELL! YOU SHALL HOLD RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS TOO! HOW ON EARTH LAND ARE WE GOING BACK TO ERA NOW?! YOU GUYS BETTER THINK OF SOMETHING-"

As Ragou continues his mad rumbling, Erza and Yuri pout and turn to each other.

* * *

"FAIRY TAIL! LIEUTENANT LOWELL! RELEASE ME THIS INSTANCE! HOW DARE YOU TIE ME UP LIKE THIS?! DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?! I'M A MEMBER OF THE MAGIC COUNCIL AND I CAN CHARGE YOU ALL FOR THIS!"

As Ragou continues shouting in rage while being tied up to a tree, Darren, Sheena, Yuri and Team Natsu walk away from him and the crash site, continuing their journey through the wilderness on foot.

"Now that's something we should have done earlier." Natsu grins in satisfaction as he places his hands at the back of his head.

"He can go ahead and charge us if he wants. We're used to it anyway." Erza said with a smirk while Yuri unties his ribbon, letting his long dark purple hair flow freely down to the middle of his back.

Yuri huffs and said as he puts away his ribbon, "And this is why I hate the magic council."

* * *

Meanwhile, after managing to escape before their ship crashed along with the Magic Council ship, Velvet and Mala are resting at the other side of the forest. Velvet yells in frustration as she slams her demonic fist against the trunk of a tall tree. Moments later, her demonic arm transforms back into a normal human arm, wrapped with several bandages.

"I can't believe we would lose to them!" Velvet shouted. She pulls back and lowers her fist as she turns to Mala, who is currently sitting and leaning against the trunk of a nearby tree with his hands clutching the sides of his head and helmet.

"No! We couldn't have failed! We couldn't!" Mala cried, trembling in fear. "She's going to punish me! I know she will!"

Velvet glares at Mala, not caring about the pathetic display her fellow praetor is displaying right now. Suddenly, she felt her lacrima ball vibrating inside her pocket. She gets it out and activates it.

"Sir." Velvet said flatly.

"Lieutenant Crowe, have you and Captain Makra captured the magicless boy?" The man at the other side of the line inquired.

"Unfortunately, no." Velvet said reluctantly. "We failed to capture our target. Fairy Tail was with him."

"I see." The man replied, his voice filled with disdain. "Return back to HQ immediately."

"Yes sir, Commandant Alexei." Velvet replied before deactivating her lacrima ball and putting it away. She lowers her head and grits her teeth as she clenches her fists tightly. "Damn you, Fairy Tail."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will be my last story update of 2018. So to everyone, I would like to wish you all a Happy New Year and see you all again in 2019! :)
> 
> Chapter revised on 16th January 2019.


	4. Moving Forward

After putting away his lacrima, a silver-haired man, dressed in a light brown uniform, gray pants and silver metal pauldrons, gauntlets and greaves, turns to Maroro and his thugs who are kneeling on the road outside of the restaurant with their hands behind their heads. Several praetors surround and aiming their weapons at them. The employees watch in fear as they stood behind the praetors and at the entrance of the restaurant.

"Maroro, not only have you let our target escape from your grasp, but your mistake has also humiliated my best soldiers in the process." The man said icily as his scowl brought fear into Maroro.

"Commandant Alexei, I'm so sorry! But this is all Fairy Tail's fault! None of this would happen if they hadn't shown up!" Maroro cried. Alexei walks up to Maroro and kneels down to his level. Maroro breathed heavily in fear as the commandant gazes back at him.

"Blaming your mistakes on others." Alexei snorted. "You are a disgrace to men." He stood up and turns to his soldiers. "Kill them all."

Maroro and his thugs gasped as the praetors obliged their superior. They walk over to the thugs and thrust their swords and spears into their chests, causing the restaurant's employees to scream in horror. After the thugs slump onto the floor, Maroro looks up and sees a tall red-haired man walking past Alexei and over to him. The man wears a white patrol cap, red scarf, white long-sleeved jacket with a light blue shirt underneath, black gloves, a black belt with a silver square buckle, dark green pants and black boots.

When the man is near Maroro, he swiftly punches him across his face, sending him falling to the floor. Maroro moans in agony for a moment before he felt the man turning his body to face him. As the man towers above him, he kneels down, pulls back his fist, and proceeds to punch his face continuously and mercilessly.

As Maroro cries in pain with every brutal punch the man gave him, Alexei places his hands behind his back and turns to the employees who look back at him in horror, fearing for their lives.

"Let this be a lesson to all of you!" Alexei barked at them. "Anyone who  _dares_ displease the Abbey will be dealt with severely! No trial! No hesitation! And no mercy!"

Alexei looks down at the tall man who kneels above the now lifeless Maroro, lying dead on the ground. The man nonchalantly wipes off the blood from his gloves, looks back at Alexei and gave him a solemn nod. The commandant looks back at the praetors.

"Let's move!" Alexei orders his men. The man gets up as he and the praetors follow Alexei from behind and make their departure.

Unbeknownst to them, Mickey Chickentiger and Pii-chan had been watching them while standing behind the corner of a building far away from the restaurant. Mickey looks up when Pii-chan chirped in fear and worry. She gave her bird a gentle pat on its head before she turns her head away and frown.

' _Darren, Team Natsu, I hope all of you are safe.'_

* * *

Lucy took lead of the group as she, Yuri, Sheena, Darren and the rest of Team Natsu walk through the forest. With their ship gone and all of their devices they could have use to contact the Magic Council destroyed during the crash, everyone has no choice but to continue their journey to Era on foot. The lacrimas that Yuri and Erza use are unfortunately short-range and Lucy's map is the only thing they have that can give them the directions to Era. To make things worse, they currently don't have any food and water with them. Thankfully according to Lucy's map, there is a town known as Halure that is the nearest to their current location and they decide to go there to have their rest and restock their supplies.

"As long as we keep going north, we should Halure sooner or later." Lucy said to everyone while staring down at her map.

"I wonder how Ragou is doing right now though." Wendy pondered as she looks skyward.

"Oh don't worry about him. Even though he was annoying, we are still not heartless. I left him my lacrima so that he can still use it to contact any traveler within his range." Yuri explained to her.

Natsu turns his head around and notices Darren walking slowly at the very back of the group while staring down at his scabbard. Ever since the crash, Darren has been awfully silent throughout their journey to Era, causing Natsu to worry about him.

"Hey Darren, are you alright?" Natsu asked in concern.

"What?" Darren momentarily snaps out of his thoughts and looks up at Natsu and the others. "Yeah um…well…not really um…I need a break."

Everyone stops as Darren turns to his left and sees a log lying on the ground nearby. He walks over to it, turns around and sits down on the log.

The others look at each other in concern for a moment before Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Erza and Wendy go over to him.

"Hey there, are you alright?" Gray asked Darren as Team Natsu stood in front of him.

"Back at the ship…I saw those guys…dying right in front of me." Darren said as his eyes grew cold. "Killed by the people who are trying to hunt me down." He tightens his grip around his scabbard. "Why am I here? Why am I so unfortunate to be one of the many people who are transported here? And why am I given this sacred weapon? I don't know why Mavis chose me of all people to be some destined hero. I'm just an average guy who just wants to be in his room not having a care for the world." Everyone stare wordlessly at him as Darren took a gulp. "The point is…I'm scared. I don't know why I'm here and I'm afraid of dying here. I…I just want to go home."

Darren rubs his eyes and furiously fights back the urge to go into a mental breakdown. As he sat there, staring down at his scabbard and settled into a state of contemplation, Natsu walks closer to him a few moments later.

"Hey." Natsu simply said.

"What?" Darren replied dully. Suddenly, his eyes nearly bulge out of their sockets as he felt a pair of hands tickling furiously at the sides of his torso.

"TICKLE TICKLE TICKLE TICKLE TICKLE TICKLE TICKLE!" Natsu squealed.

"AHAHAHAHAHA! STOP IT! HAHAHA! WHAT ARE YOU, A MANCHILD?! JUST STOP!" Darren pleaded as he desperately tried to squirm his way out of his grip. Eventually, Natsu removes his hands and Darren stood up. He wipes away the small tears of joy from his eyes before looking back at Natsu and his team.

"Cheer up, will ya?" Natsu grins with his hands placed at the sides of his hip. "And it's okay. We know how you feel."

"We all had our emotional moments in our lives." Lucy added. "For me, it was learning that both my father and mother are gone."

"For me, it was witnessing the deaths of my guardian, and my father." Gray said solemnly.

"For me, it was losing my mother Grandeneey, and my previous guild master Roubaul." Wendy said frowning.

"For me, it was living with the trauma of being a slave in the Tower of Heaven." Erza said with her eyes softened.

"And for me, it was losing my father Igneel." Natsu said grimly. Soon after, his frown quickly turns into a wide smirk as he looks back at Darren. "But do you know what makes us strong and happy again? It's by knowing that you still have friends who truly care for you."

"You still have Sheena. And now you have us too." Lucy said reassuringly as she smiles at Darren.

"Darren, I know you are scared, and I know how it feels. I too share the same feeling before. But we vow to take you back home safely no matter what." Erza said with her hand placed above her chest.

"That's right! We are the number 1 guild in Fiore after all! So no mission is impossible for us!" Natsu grins as he firmly places his right fist against his muscular chest.

"Aye!" Wendy agreed as she nods her head with a wide smile. Darren stares back at them with his eyes wide, overwhelmed with his gratefulness towards Team Natsu. A few moments later, he chuckles as he wipes his eyes again.

"Sorry um, I got dust in my eyes." Darren said before smiling back at Team Natsu. "But in all seriousness, thanks. You guys are awesome."

Natsu firmly places his hand on Darren's shoulder as Lucy, Gray, Erza and Wendy gather around him. Sheena, Yuri, Happy and Carla smile as they watch them from a distance.

"Even though they are troublemakers, they still know how to cheer someone up." Yuri said to Sheena.

Sheena sighs and turns her head away. "I wish I could be as strong as them." She murmured with a frown.

* * *

Lucy continues escorting the group through the forest as night falls. As they walk, Darren lets out a yawn as his eyes felt heavy.

"Jeez, I gotta admit that I'm getting really tired now." Darren said wearily. His comment was followed up by a loud growl.

"And I'm starving." Natsu moans as he slouches over and clutches his stomach.

"Me too." Happy added.

"And I seriously need a shower!" Sheena cried as she throws her head back and frantically flaps her hand besides her face.

"Lucy, how much longer do we have to travel?" Carla asked Lucy.

"Shouldn't be any longer now." Lucy said while gazing at her map.

"But we have been travelling for hours!" Gray yelled.

"Come on guys! I'm tired too! My boots are killing me!" Lucy cried back as she turns to the others.

"I hope you weren't actually looking at the map upside down." Happy said.

"NO I'M NOT!" Lucy shrieked.

"Yes, she isn't." Yuri said as he takes a closer look at the map while walking beside Lucy.

Lucy sighs in relief and said to Yuri, "Thank you, Lieutenant."

"But if we don't reach there soon, I'm blaming my death on you." Yuri glares at her.

"Oh come on! Isn't there anyone here who isn't whining?!" Lucy shouted exasperatedly.

Erza shakes her head before turning to Sheena. "By the way, you were a pretty good fighter back there, Sheena. You have our thanks for providing your assistance in battle."

"Yeah, it's no problem at all. I'm just happy to help out." Sheena smirked at her.

"But you were completely frozen when that praetor mentioned you were from Mizuho." Erza said.

Sheena's smile instantly vanished as she stares blankly at Erza. She lowers her head and mumbled, "He's right. I'm from Mizuho. Or I used to."

"What?" Darren said incredulously. "Sheena, I've always thought you were from Underwood. Why didn't you tell me about your actual hometown?"

"Because I never wanted to." Sheena replied.

"That's the same answer you gave me when I asked why you didn't want me to know about Fairy Tail!" Darren chided. "Why are you hiding things from me?"

"Look, even though we are friends, there are still some things that I don't want to talk about, alright?" Sheena snapped at Darren with her eyes narrowed.

"Hey look! What's over there?" Gray asked, pointing his finger at the trees on the left.

"Huh?" Sheena said in bewilderment as she turns to the direction he was pointing. During that moment of distraction, Gray took the opportunity to place his hand on Sheena's right shoulder and pulls down her sleeve.

"HEY!" Sheena squealed as she turns back to Gray with her cheeks blushing crimson. Darren drops his jaw dumbfounded as he gazes at the beautiful skin of Sheena's back and shoulder.

"Ah ha!" Gray cried triumphantly as he sees a black tattoo on the back of Sheena's right shoulder. Everyone stop as Sheena slaps Gray's hand away from her shoulder and hurriedly pulls her sleeve back up. But Erza had already noticed it.

"That's the symbol of Phantom Lord!" Erza realized aloud. Natsu, Lucy and Happy gasped.

"Is that true?" Lucy asked. Sheena sighs heavily before turning around and pulls down her right sleeve, revealing her guild tattoo to everyone around her.

"Sheena! You were in a guild?" Darren asked incredulously.

"And in Phantom Lord no less." Natsu said.

"Yes." Sheena murmured, lowering her head in shame. "The same guild that destroyed your home."

"We know that. Every guild does." Gray said.

"Don't get the wrong idea." Sheena said as she pulls up her sleeve again and turns around. "Jose Porla deserved to be punished for what he did to your headquarters nine years ago. I was only ten back then when I join them. And even though being a member in that guild was tough, I still felt like I had a place where I belong after leaving Mizuho. That is until I realize how despicable Jose Porla and the other members truly are when they instigated a war with Fairy Tail, harming so many of your friends and destroying your headquarters. When the battle between your guild and Phantom Lord broke out, I chose to defect and stay away from the fights. I felt hurt and betrayed by everyone whom I thought were a family to me. Instead, they turn out to be nothing but monsters who only desire harm and revenge against Fairy Tail. I never regret my decision to leave Phantom Lord, but of course it made me homeless and alone again."

"I'm so sorry, Sheena. You didn't deserve it." Lucy said sympathetically.

"Aye. That bastard Jose Porla failed to notice that the war not only brought harm to us, but to his own guild as well." Natsu added.

"Sheena, why don't you join us?" Erza asked with a warm smile. "Juvia Lockser and Gajeel Redfox used to be part of your guild, but they have since changed their ways and became members of Fairy Tail."

"I know. I saw them on lacrima during the Grand Magic Games two years ago. But I have no intention of joining another guild." Sheena said. "I made the decision to stay alone after everything that had happened to me, and I'm sticking with it."

"Sheena…" Darren uttered.

Suddenly, Natsu's eyes widened as he detected an unusual smell. He sniffed and said to his exceed friend, "Happy, did you smell that?"

Happy lifts his head up and sniffed. "Yeah Natsu, I smell it too!" He said.

"What's going on?" Yuri asked in confusion. Natsu and Happy continue sniffing as they turn to the trees on the right. Their eyes soon grew as wide as saucers as huge smiles take form on their faces.

"We smell food!" Natsu and Happy both shouted enthusiastically as they pump their fists into the air.

"Really?" Darren asked.

"Then that means Halure isn't far from us now." Lucy said.

"Actually, the smell came from there!" Natsu yelled as he points at the trees.

"Aye!" Happy added. The others turn their heads to the right in bewilderment before Natsu and Happy made a mad dash to the trees.

"What the?! Hey! Wait for us, blockheads!" Gray snapped before everyone run after them.

"Why exactly are you guys heading that way?! We are going off-course!" Lucy cried as she puts away her map.

Everyone raced after Natsu and Happy through the forest as they weave around the trees. Eventually, they caught up with the two and they see Natsu and Happy staring at some fried drumsticks and fish laying on the grass.

"Ahahahahaha, food! Scrumptious, delicious food!" Natsu smiles greedily as he and Happy gaze at the food before them.

"Mmm! Those fish look delicious! I can't wait to eat them!" Happy said as he rubs his stomach.

"Guys! Are you seriously thinking of eating all that food from the ground?! Gross!" Lucy cried as she gave a grimace of disgust.

"And don't you guys find it even the tiny bit suspicious that these food are just lying there on the ground?!" Darren asked.

"Probably some traveler dropped them from his backpack, but who cares?! I'm famished!" Natsu yelled back at them as he stomps his foot.

"Me too!" Happy shouted.

"Let's dive right in, Happy!" Natsu yelled ecstatically at his friend.

"You got it!" Happy agreed.

"WAIT!" Erza shouted as she extends her arm, trying to reach out to them. But it was too late as Natsu and Happy runs over to the food, kneels down and they grab two drumsticks and a fish respectively.

"Let's eat!" Natsu cheered. But before he and Happy could take a bite out of their food, they immediately look puzzled as they felt the ground underneath them begin to shake. And before they knew it, Natsu and Happy scream in terror as a net sprung up below their feet and yanks them up into the air.

"Natsu!" Lucy yelled in shock.

"Happy!" Wendy cried.

"Ahhh! What just happened?!" Natsu yelled incredulously as he and Happy find themselves trapped inside a net hanging below a branch of the large tree beside them.

"Somebody! Help us! We're trapped!" Happy cried in horror as he and Natsu squirm around inside the net and struggle to break free.

As the others look up at them, Darren groans as he places his hand over his face. "I knew something like this would happen. I watch cartoons all the time after all."

"Wow, bravo." Gray said sarcastically as he slowly claps his hands. "Way a go, Natsu. Once again, you have proven to be the biggest idiot in all of Earth Land."

"Will you shut up and just get us down?!" Natsu shouted at Gray in annoyance.

"You guys honestly deserve it." Sheena commented as she glares at them.

"Hey! Who are you people?!"

Natsu and Happy immediately fall silent as they turn their heads and look down. Darren and the others also look to their front and see a young woman running over to them. When she came to a halt, everyone takes a good look at her. The woman has long blonde hair that flows down to her waist, green eyes and wears a sleeveless green zipper shirt with a white sleeveless v-collar shirt underneath it, a brown belt with a silver buckle, dark grey shorts, black stockings with red outlines and white boots. She also has a brown sling bag over her left shoulder.

The woman looks up at Natsu and Happy who are trapped inside the net. She snorted and said with her hands placed at the sides of her hip, "Great. I made that trap in hopes of capturing an eggbear. But instead, I ended up catching two idiots who actually think the food I laid there is for them."

"Hey! Who are you calling an idiot?!" Natsu snapped at the woman.

"Um, excuse me, but who are you?" Lucy asked. The woman looks back at her and the others. She chuckled as she pushes some strands of hair away from her eyes.

"Sorry. I forgot to give myself an introduction." She said. "My name is Alicia. Alicia Ribery."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize if this chapter is shorter than expected but right now, I'm dealing with a lot of difficult matters in my personal life. Hopefully, things will get better so that I can continue writing this story on a regular schedule again. Hope you guys understand my situation and thanks for sticking with me.


	5. Halure, Part 1

"Sorry that we accidentally activated your trap. But would you kindly let our friends down?" Wendy asked Alicia.

"Sure." Alicia replied before drawing out a machete from her back. She swiftly turns to Natsu and Happy and throws the machete at the rope tied around the branch. The machete cuts through the rope, sending both Natsu and Happy plummeting through the air and landing on the ground with a hard thud.

"OWW!" Natsu and Happy both yelled in pain before removing the net off of them.

"Aw jeez, my butt hurts!" Natsu whined as he sits up and rubs his butt. "Couldn't you get us down in a less painful way?"

"If it doesn't kill you, you'll be fine." Alicia smirked at him.

"Need help getting your machete, Alicia?" Carla asked, pointing at the machete that is now stabbed through the branch. "I can fly over there and-"

"It's okay. I can get it down myself." Alicia said before getting out a yo-yo from her sling bag.

"Yo-yo?" Darren arches an eyebrow. Alicia swings her yo-yo at the machete and wraps it around the blade. She gave a hard pull, freeing the machete from the branch. She holds up her hand and grabs the machete by its hilt as it flies back to her.

"So who are you guys? And what are you all doing here?" Alicia asked as she puts away her machete and yo-yo. After Natsu and Happy get up from the ground, everyone begin introducing themselves.

"My name is Natsu Dragneel. Nice to meet ya."

"I'm Happy!"

"I'm Lucy Heartfilia."

"Gray Fullbuster."

"Erza Scarlet."

"Wendy Marvell."

"Carla."

"I'm Lieutenant Yuri Lowell."

"Sheena Fujibayashi."

"And I'm Darren Leong. And we are here because-" Darren cuts himself off when his stomach made a loud rumble. He blushes as Alicia laughed in response.

"I get it. You guys must be travelling for a long time and now you're all famished." Alicia turns and gestures them to follow her. "Come on. I'll take you guys to the town of Halure, which thankfully isn't far away from here."

* * *

Upon entering the town of Halure, Darren, Sheena, Yuri and Team Natsu look around their surroundings in awe. The small town consists of several small buildings and houses. But what makes the place look exquisite and unique from the other towns was that it is built around an enormous tree, with its gigantic roots making up the hills and slopes around the area. The townspeople made use of the terrain by building their houses and buildings on top of the roots and slopes, with most of them having small stairs in front of the entrances.

Shortly after entering the town, the group is approached by two figures. One of them is a small boy with spiky brown hair, brown eyes and dressed in a red scarf around his neck, a white and light green short-sleeved shirt with a black long-sleeved shirt underneath it, white gloves, dark tan pants, a blue belt and black shoes. The other is a tall woman with light purple hair that is tied to a bun, two light blue 'tails' at the bottom back of her head, purple eyes, two pointed ears and dressed in a blue and yellow chest armor which exposes most of her lower body, a white short-sleeved shirt, white gloves, blue and white waistcloths, and blue boots.

"Alicia! You're back!" The boy said as he and the woman goes over to Alicia. "Did you catch the eggbear?"

"Hey Karol." Alicia replied as she looks down on him. "Sorry but I didn't. Instead, I ended up catching these guys." She gestured to Team Natsu and the others.

"Two of us literally." Natsu muttered.

"You can have your machete back, Judith." Alicia said as she hands the machete to the light purple-haired woman.

"Thanks Alicia. Maybe you'll have better luck next time." Judith said with a soft smile as she takes back her weapon from Alicia and sheathes it into the scabbard around her left thigh. When she looks back up, Judith notices that Darren is gazing steadily at her with his mouth slightly agape. Judith chuckled as she places her hands at her hips and tilts her head slightly to the side. "So, who are you supposed to be?"

"I um…I er…um…" Darren stuttered, struggling to respond as he couldn't help but continue gazing at Judith's beautiful face and body. The sight of her beauty however has also given three other women who are standing near Darren a mixture of shock and envy.

"Damn…that is one beautiful body she has. She will probably give Mira a run for her money." Erza murmured as she stares at Judith with her eyes wide.

"Tch. She probably wears fewer clothes because she is a showoff." Sheena scoffed with her arms folded. She turns her head away and murmured to herself, "And a slut."

"T-t-those…t-t-things…" Lucy stammered, shaking uncontrollably as she gazes at Judith's enormous…assets.  _'M-Mine are c-clearly bigger…r-right? Right? RIGHT?!'_

"Um, Lucy? Are you okay?" Wendy asked in concern, noticing the blonde-haired mage shaking frantically with her arms wrapped around her body and underneath her cleavage.

"Of course I'm fine!" Lucy responded, turning to the small girl with her eye twitching. Wendy cringed and inches away from her. "I'm totally fine as I can be! Heheheheheheh!"

"Wendy, can your healing cure brain damage?" Carla whispered into Wendy's ear as she floats to her level.

"I-I-I c-c-ould try…" Wendy replied stuttering.

"I-I-I'm Darren Leong. It's nice to meet you." Darren said when he finally regains his ability to speak. He extends out his hand and Judith grabs it.

"Nice to meet you, Darren. I'm Judith." Judith greeted as she shakes his hand. Darren chuckled and blushed, feeling the warmth of her hand.

"I'm Natsu Dragneel." Natsu grins as he jabs his thumb onto his muscular chest.

"Happy!" Happy greeted.

"Carla." Carla said with a nod.

"I'm Wendy Marvell." Wendy smiled as she raises her hand.

"L-L-Lucy H-Heartf-filia." Lucy stammered as she also holds up her hand while trying to regain her composure.

"Gray Fullbuster." Gray simply said.

"Erza Scarlet." Erza said with a solemn nod.

"Lieutenant Yuri Lowell." Yuri said as he placed his fist on his chest.

"And I'm Sheena Fujibayashi." Sheena said dully while still glaring at Judith.

"Nice to meet all of you! I'm Karol Capel!" Karol grins at them while placing his fists at the sides of his hip. "I'm sure you guys already know Judith and Alicia Ribery." Judith and Alicia smile and wave their hands at them as they stood beside the boy. "And we make up the guild known as Brave Vesperia!"

"Just the three of you?" Erza asked.

"Well, there are four of us actually but she's in the town square right now attending to the civilians." Judith answered.

"Speaking of, how are the civilians right now?" Alicia asked Karol in concern.

"Most of them are fine now, thanks to her healing magic. But she is getting tired herself." Karol replied.

Alicia sighed. "I already told her not to push herself too hard." She turns back to the others. "Sorry guys but we have to attend to our friend and the townspeople. At the meantime, you guys can just hang around here and make yourselves comfortable."

"What? No way." Natsu said flatly. "If you said that there are people here who need help, we're not going to turn a blind eye."

"Right. Let us help too." Lucy added as she places her hand on her chest. Alicia, Karol and Judith stare at them questioningly for a moment before they solemnly nod their heads.

"Very well. Follow us." Karol said solemnly.

Everyone head deeper into the town of Halure. To the surprise and concern of Darren, Sheena, Yuri and Team Natsu, the town square is filled with several people sitting around on the ground and benches with their heads lowered in sorrow and misery. Some of them are also lying on the ground and have bandages wrapped around their heads and limbs. The few townspeople who are still fine are trying their best to aid those who are injured.

"What happened here?" Happy asked.

"This town recently suffered an invasion from the Abbey." Judith replied.

"The Abbey?!" Erza said incredulously as she turns to Brave Vesperia.

"Yeah. Thankfully, there was another guild here that protected this town from the invaders. But many civilians still got hurt during the fight." Alicia said grimly.

"Long before any of this happened though; the tree in this town creates a magic barrier that protects everyone here from external threats. But unfortunately, the tree has been weakened and the barrier vanished. And that's how this town suffered from the invasion." Karol explained. Team Natsu, Darren, Sheena and Yuri turn and look up at the large tree grown in the middle of the town. Although the tree is still standing, its leaves have clearly withered and lost its natural colors.

"No wonder the people of this town live so close to this tree." Lucy said softly.

"Ugh!"

Everyone turn to the side and see a woman falling to her knees after she had finished attending to an injured woman sitting on a bench with her daughter.

"Ma'am! Are you okay?" The woman cried in concern.

"Estelle!" Alicia cried.

"Hey!" Yuri said as he and Alicia hastily rush over to the woman. After going over to her sides, Alicia and Yuri kneel down and wrap the woman's arms around their backs. "Are you alright?" He asked the woman as he and Alicia get her up from the ground as they slowly stand up.

"Yeah…I'm fine…" The woman replied weakly. She has chin-length pink hair, teal eyes and wears a white dress with gold outlines with an additional pink dress underneath it, white gloves, yellow gauntlets, black pants underneath her skirt and white boots.

"No you're not! You're exhausted!" Alicia chided the woman. "You should rest now or you too will end up becoming like the injured."

"Y-yeah, I should. I'm sorry." The woman said apologetically.

As the woman and her daughter move aside, allowing Alicia and Yuri to help the pink-haired woman sit down and rest, Karol and Judith turns to Darren, Sheena and Team Natsu.

"That's Estelle, our guild's healer." Karol said.

"I can see that she is a very caring person." Darren said.

"Yes, but she shouldn't push yourself too much to help until she completely forgets about herself." Judith said.

"Come on, Wendy. Let's help these people out." Happy said to Wendy.

"Right." Wendy nods her head. As Wendy, Happy and Carla goes off to help and heal the injured, an old man walks down a slope and goes over to everyone else.

"Brave Vesperia, I must really thank you for helping my people. Your friend is a wonderful healer." The man said to Karol and Judith.

"You're welcome." Karol said. "We're just glad most of your people are getting better."

"Sir, I hope you don't mind us barging in but when does the tree stop setting up its barrier?" Erza asked the town leader.

"I'm not sure." The town leader responded. "We have no idea what causes our great tree to weaken. Even Fairy Tail doesn't know for sure." Darren, Sheena and Team Natsu stare at him in surprise. "But all we know is that if things don't go normal soon, we may never survive another invasion from the Abbey."

"Did you say Fairy Tail?" Gray asked.

"GRAY-SAMA!"

Gray flinched upon hearing the familiar voice. "You're kidding me…" He uttered.

Lucy chuckled. "What a small world."

Everyone look behind the town leader and see three people standing behind the fence and on top of the hill in the distance. One of them is a young girl around the same age as Lucy. Her skin is pale white and she has long blue wavy hair, dark blue eyes and wears a black Cossack hat with a golden butterfly pin on it, a black long-sleeved winter uniform with a light brown belt around her waist, a black long skirt and long light brown boots.

The second figure is a tall and muscular young man with long and messy black hair. He has blood red eyes, metal piercings on his brows, nose, chin and lower arms, and wears a sleeveless black and gray robe, a dark gray sash, black gloves, dark tan pants and black boots.

The third and last figure is a tall and young woman with purple eyes and long wavy brown hair. She is dressed in a light blue bra, a pair of metal bracelets around her upper arms, a pair of brown capri pants, black high-heel shoes and carries a blue furry sling bag over her body.

The blue-haired girl waves her hand enthusiastically at Gray before running down the slope and going over to Team Natsu.

"Hello Gray-sama! Have you come to Halure to see Juvia?" Juvia eagerly asked Gray as she stood in front of him with a wide smile plastered across her face.

"Huh? You know them?" Karol said as he and Judith stare at Juvia in confusion.

"Yes. She and the other two are our fellow guild members." Natsu replied to the small boy.

"Hello Juvia. We just so happen to come here. That's all." Gray replied dully to Juvia.

"Happen to come here? It must be destiny that brought you and Juvia together then." Juvia said lovingly with her eyes closed as she clasps her hands together and place them next to her right cheek. But a moment later, her eyes snap open as she swiftly turns her head to Lucy, giving her 'love rival' a diabolical glare. "Hello Lucy…" She greeted her menacingly.

"Hello Juvia." Lucy said nervously as she waves her hand back at her friend. "So nice to see you again."

"Gajeel, Cana, what are you guys doing here?" Erza asked, smiling at the other two figures approaching towards them.

"Well, we are doing our part in going around Earth Land with the Rune Knights in searching for the humans without magic." The brown-haired woman now known as Cana replied as she places her hand on the side of her hip.

"We managed to find the magicless person we were assigned to rescue here in this town." The black-haired man now known as Gajeel explained. "But it did attract the attention of the Abbey and that's why they came here and attack. Fortunately, the magicless man has since escaped with the Rune Knights we travelled with and they are on their way to Era as we speak. Juvia, Cana and I, along with Brave Vesperia manage to fend off the Abbey, but several civilians did get injured during the battle."

"That's why we stayed here for the time being and do what we must to make up for the inconvenience we've brought upon this town." Juvia said grimly as she felt a huge amount of guilt inside her.

"No guys. Don't blame yourselves. At least the three of you fought bravely to protect this town from the invaders along with Brave Vesperia. I'm proud of you." Erza said to them with a weak smile. Cana, Gajeel and Juvia smile back at her.

"So what exactly are we going to do now?" Darren asked worriedly, watching Wendy, Happy and Carla going around and helping the injured civilians in the town square. "If we don't do something, this town may never survive another external threat."

"That's why I was trying to capture an eggbear." Alicia said to him as she walks over to them.

"Huh?" Darren turned to Alicia. "Oh right, you did mention that. What's that anyway?"

"An eggbear is a giant grey bear with large claws and long arms that reach down to its knees. It usually roams around the forest back where we originally came from." Alicia explained.

"Are you sure it's not a bear that resembles an egg?" Darren arches an eyebrow at her.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Natsu burst out laughing as he clutches his stomach. "Good one Darren, AHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Is your taste of comedy really that low for you guys?" Alicia muttered as she gives Darren and Natsu an annoyed scowl. Darren shrugged and gave her a lopsided grin in response.

"Alicia's right though." Karol said. "And the reason why we are trying to catch it is because I actually had an idea on how we can cure the great tree and bring back the magic barrier that protects this town."

"Really?" Lucy said as she, Natsu, Gray and Erza widen their eyes intrigued.

"Well, it's just an idea in my head. I can't confirm it will work for sure, but it's still worth trying." Karol admitted as he scratches his chin. "Anyways, I was thinking we could grab the claw of an eggbear and mix it with a healing bottle."

"We already have a healing bottle thanks to the ingredients the town leader provided us." Cana said, holding up the said bottle in her hand. "Now all we just need is the creature's claw."

The members of Team Natsu look up at the enormous tree that towers over them and the town again. Darren is right. The people of this town heavily rely on the tree's magic to keep themselves safe from danger. But with the tree weakened, the townspeople had suffered lots of pain and suffering from the Abbey's invasion. And if it weren't for the help of Juvia, Gajeel, Cana and Brave Vesperia, this town could have been obliterated. If nobody could help cure their precious tree now, a great amount of suffering will bestow upon the innocent people of Halure in the future.

Natsu, Lucy, Gray and Erza look back at each other and nod their heads solemnly. They turn to Karol as Natsu holds up and clenches his fist. "Let us help find this eggbear for you." He said to Brave Vesperia.

"You will?" Karol said as he, Alicia and Judith look back at them in awe.

"Yup! If anyone needs help, they can count on us." Lucy said enthusiastically. "Because we are-"

Natsu, Lucy, Gray and Erza pump their fists up into the air as they shout in unison, "FAIRY TAIL!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is back with another chapter! I'm happy to announce that things happening in my personal life are finally settling down. So hopefully I can continue writing my stories again at a regular schedule. Thanks to all my readers for sticking with me and stay tune for more! :)


	6. Halure, Part 2

"Huh? Why the heck do I have to stay here?" Sheena asked Darren in annoyance.

"Because I'm sure eleven people including me is already enough to go back to the forest and find this eggbear." Darren explained. "Besides, I think you haven't got time to know Wendy, Yuri and the exceeds yet. They and Estelle could use your help in taking care of the civilians while we're gone."

Sheena turns and looks over her shoulder. She momentarily glances at Wendy, Happy and Carla who are standing behind her, smiling and waving their hands. Sheena turns back to Darren and scratches her head. "Fine. I'll stay here." She replied, looking peeved.

"Thanks, I appreciate it." Darren smiled at her as Natsu, Gajeel and Juvia walk over to them.

"Don't worry Sheena. Your friend is in our safe hands." Natsu grins at Sheena as he places his hand on Darren's shoulder.

"Says the guy who has proven to be an idiot so far." Sheena murmured. Gajeel laughed in response, causing Natsu to glare at the Iron Dragon Slayer.

"You got that right, Sheena!" Gajeel chortled.

"Stay here and make sure everything in town is fine while we're gone." Juvia said to her.

"I will." Sheena nods her head.

"Thank you. By the way, it's good to you again, Sheena." Juvia said smiling.

"Glad to know you're still alive and well." Gajeel added. Sheena gave her former guildmates a quick smirk before turning around and walking away. Afterwards, Darren, Natsu, Gajeel and Juvia turn around and regroup with Lucy, Gray, Erza, Cana, Karol, Judith and Alicia.

"Alright everyone!" Erza and Karol said to everyone in unison. "Huh?" They look at each other in confusion before turning back to their fellow guild members. "Let's head into the-"

Erza and Karol cut themselves off and groan. The former turns to the small boy and said, "You go first."

Karol nods his head and said to everyone as he raises his fist into the air, "Let's head into the forest and find that eggbear!"

"Aye!" The others responded in unison. Yuri, Estelle, Sheena, Wendy, Happy and Carla watch everyone leave the town while standing in the distance.

"I hope they will return with that eggbear claw soon." Yuri said.

"Me too. We can't let this people remain defenseless for long." Estelle said. She turns to Wendy and smiled at the Wind Dragon Slayer. "Thank you so much for helping me with the injured, Wendy. I appreciate your assistance."

"You're welcome." Wendy replied.

"Thanks for your help too, Yuri Lowell." Estelle said, turning to the man beside her.

"No problem." Yuri smirked.

"Judging by your outfit, you're a Rune Knight, aren't you?" Estelle inquired.

"Yeah I am. Though to be honest, I really hate this uniform." Yuri said, looking down at his current clothing.

"Well, you can always go to the town's store and pick a new set of clothes for yourself." Estelle suggested.

"Yeah, and wearing this outfit will only make me stick out like a sore thumb and stand out too much to the enemy. Nice suggestion, Estelle." Yuri replied.

"Can I come with? My guild and I need to restock our supplies too." Wendy said to the adults.

"Of course." Estelle said to her.

"Well, if you guys are busy chatting among yourselves, I'll just sit over there and mind my own business then." Sheena said dully before turning and walking over to a nearby bench. Just as she sat down, two small boys and a girl walk past her while carrying wooden swords with in their hands. Sheena frowned and asked them, "Hey, where are you guys going?"

The three children stop and turn to Sheena. They all stare at her boldly as the leader of the trio proclaimed, "We are going out there to fight the Abbey!"

"Huh?" Sheena said incredulously.

"Yeah, those baddies hurt my parents! So we're going out there to make them pay!" The only girl of the trio cried.

"I want them all hurt badly just like what they did to our families and friends!" The other boy of the trio added.

"Come on guys! Let's go!" The leader ordered his followers. Just as the three kids turn and continue walking their way out of town, Sheena hurriedly gets up from the bench and stood in front of them.

"Whoa hey! Calm down, will you?" Sheena said to the children as she holds up her hands.

"Calm down?! How can we calm down when the Abbey has hurt our families and friends?! Somebody has got to make them pay!" The leader of the trio barked.

"Yeah! Let us teach those rotten grown-ups a lesson they'll never forget!" The other boy shouted.

Sheena noticed the anger and hatred inside the children's eyes. While she does empathize their feelings, she knows that seeking revenge is never the way to make the Abbey compensate for what they did to the innocent people of Halure, especially when they are all children who are not only too young to fight against them, but also have long lives ahead of them that should not be wasted with petty revenge.

Sheena places her hands on the sides of her hip and suggested, "You know, instead of running off on your own, how about I tell you all a story?"

"Huh?" The leader said as the three children stare at Sheena in confusion. Sheena places her hands on the boys' shoulders as she escorts them and the girl back to the bench. The three children continue gazing at Sheena as she sat down on the bench in front of them.

"What is this story about?" The girl asked Sheena.

"Um, let's see." Sheena rubs her chin. "Have you ever heard of the tortoise and the hare?"

"Yeah." The leader of the trio replied.

"Well, this is the sequel. The story of the hare's revenge." Sheena said.

"Huh?" The other boy said.

"Now, I'm sure you guys know that the tortoise won the race against the hare, right?" Sheena asked. The children nod their heads in response. "Well, the hare isn't very happy about losing the race to the tortoise, so he seeks his revenge by humiliating the tortoise to everyone in the animal village."

The three children look at each other before sitting down on the ground and gaze at Sheena as they listen to her story. As Sheena begins telling her story to them, Estelle chuckled as she, Wendy, Yuri, Happy and Carla watch her from a distance.

"I'm sure she's doing a great job taking care of the children in this town so far. So let's head to the store." Yuri said.

As the others make their way to the store, Wendy looks up at the sky and pondered, "I wonder how the others are doing…"

* * *

As everyone walk through the forest in search of the eggbear, Karol takes out a red harness from his bag and hands it to Darren. "Here you go. You can have this." He said.

"What is this?" Darren asked as he takes the harness from the small boy and looks down at it.

"It's a harness. You don't want to go around carrying your weapon in your hands all the time, right? So you can have this to carry your scabbard on your back." Karol explained.

"Really? Great!" Darren replied. He wears the harness around his shoulders before inserting his scabbard through the loop on its back. He smiles as he looks over his shoulder, barely seeing his scabbard now comfortably sheathed through the harness' loop. He looks back at Karol and bows his head. "Thank you very much, Karol."

"No problem." Karol smiled.

"Wow Darren, now you actually do look like a swordsman." Gray remarked.

"Really? You think so?" Darren said, grinning enthusiastically. "That's awesome to hear! I've always wanted to feel what it's like to be one of those swordsmen I've seen in anime and movies all the time! Sure I could have done cosplaying but sadly, I don't have the sewing skills to make my own outfits so I guess this harness…"

"He sure knows how to ramble when he gets overly excited." Judith said, watching him in amusement.

"Tch." Alicia snorted as she narrows her eyes. "Boys…"

Eventually, Darren gets interrupted when Lucy cries out as she points her finger up at a tree with yellow fruits growing at its branches, "There it is! We found a Nia fruit tree!" Everyone stops and turn to the tree.

"Great. Now all we have to do is use my yo-yos to-" Alicia gets cut off when Gajeel magically covers his right arm with iron dragon scales and lets out a yell as he runs over to tree, slamming his iron fist against its trunk. This causes several nia fruits to fall and plummet to the ground. Gajeel cries as he ducks down and places his hands over his head while the fruits fall on top of him as well.

"Or we could just do that." Alicia said dully while Natsu snickered at Gajeel's moment of torment.

As Gajeel backs away, Judith hands Karol her machete before the small boy goes over and picks up one of the fruits. "Now that we have one in our possession, we can use it to lure the eggbear." He said to everyone.

"How exactly are we going to do that with this fruit?" Lucy asked.

Her curiosity is rewarded when Karol uses the machete to cut open the outer skin of the nia fruit. An outrageous scent immediately burst out from the fruit, causing Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Erza, Gajeel, Cana, Juvia and Darren to freeze with their eyes nearly bulging out from their sockets.

"I-it stinks!" Erza shouted as Darren and the members of Fairy Tail quickly cover or pinch their noses.

"Yes, it does." Judith said calmly as she, Karol and Alicia are completely unfazed by the fruit's unsettling odor.

Juvia moans as she sways side to side and rolls her eyes back. She would have slump to the ground in a heap if Gray hadn't catch her from behind in time.

"Juvia!" Gray cried in horror.

"Juvia…don't feel…well…" Juvia managed to say.

"The eggbears are attracted to strange smells such as this." Karol explained.

"Yeah, something you should have told us beforehand?" Natsu said irritably with his voice pitched up as he pinches his nose.

"Serve you guys right." Alicia deadpanned. "If you hadn't ruined my plan, we wouldn't resort to plan B."

"Hopefully the eggbear will now come out soon so that we can get this over with." Cana grumbled, obviously wishing she should have stayed back in Halure after all.

Suddenly, everyone heard a ferocious roar. Juvia widens her eyes as she gets back up on her feet. Everyone whirled about and see a giant creature charging towards them.

"Look out!" Erza shouted. Everyone quickly got out of the way in time just as the giant creature charged past them. Everyone turn back to the creature just as it stops at its tracks and whirled about. The creature resembles a giant bear with dark grey and light grey fur. It is standing up on a pair of muscular legs and feet and it also has large arms and claws that extend all the way down to its knees.

"That's it! That's the eggbear!" Karol cried as he jabs his finger at the creature.

"What do you know? It doesn't look like an egg." Darren commented.

"That's your biggest concern?!" Alicia yelled at him.

Erza grits her teeth as she magically dresses up into her Giant Armor and her sword transforms into a tall and gigantic lance. Lucy draws out her whip while Cana draws out her cards. Natsu, Gray, Gajeel and Juvia also get into their fighting stances as they stare boldly at the eggbear.

"Alright everyone! Let's take it down!" Erza ordered her fellow members.

"Right!" Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Gajeel, Juvia and Cana responded in unison.

"We're ready to join the fight as well." Judith said as she and Alicia step forward. Alicia draws out two yo-yos from her pouch while Judith holds out her hand and magically summons a large black spear. She grabs it by its hilt as soon as it appears and Judith gets into her fighting stance.

"That's right, Brave Vesperia! Give that eggbear hell!" Karol cheered his guildmates.

"Um, why aren't you joining the fight?" Darren asked as he and Karol stand behind some bushes that are several meters away from the impending fight.

"Huh?" Karol said, turning to Darren who stares back at him questioningly. He panicked as he struggles to find an answer. "Oh um, i-it's because I-I-I am the strategist! Right! My role as leader of the guild also includes giving orders to my guildmates. But what about you? Why aren't you fighting?"

"Because I don't have the skills to do that yet." Darren replied.

"It's true." Lucy said nonchalantly to Karol. The boy flinched, realizing that unlike him, Darren actually has a valid reason which his friends accept.

"Your legs are shaking." Darren noted to Karol.

"Huh?!" Karol said incredulously as he looks down.

The eggbear roars again at its human enemies before charging towards them. Natsu and Gajeel yell as they are the first to advance towards the eggbear. When Natsu is near the creature, the eggbear swings his left arm horizontally at him. Natsu dodges its attack by sliding through the ground. While it is distracted, Gajeel jumps into the air and transforms his right arm into a large, jagged iron sword. He swings his sword downwards and successfully slams it on the top of the eggbear's head.

As Gajeel lands on the ground, Natsu gets up from the ground and leaps into the air. He engulfs his right fist with flames as he pulls it back.

"FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FIST!" Natsu shouted as he throws his flaming fist at the eggbear's back. The eggbear growls in pain as he stumbles forward.

"My turn!" Erza shouted before thrusting her lance towards the eggbear. The eggbear quickly responded by lifting up its gigantic arms in front of its chest to block her attack. The eggbear deflects her lance away and it proceeds to swing its arms continuously at Erza as it steps forward. Erza manages to dodge every swing by continuously backing away.

After the eggbear throws one final swing at her, Erza dodges it by jumping into the air and thrusts her lance at its face. The blow of her attack sends the eggbear stumbling backwards. It stops when Lucy throws her whip at the eggbear and it wraps around its left arm. Lucy gave it a pull before turning to Juvia. "Hurry!"

"Right." Juvia said as she holds her hand. She shouted as she swipes her arm to the side and several scythe-like blades of water flew towards the eggbear, "WATER SLICER!" The eggbear roars in agony as the blades of water slash across his limbs and body.

"Well done, Juvia!" Gray yelled as he magically summons a giant bow made of ice.

Juvia gasps as her cheeks blushed. "Gray-sama praised me!" She realized aloud as she places her hand in front of her gaping mouth.

"Concentrate!" Lucy shouted at her.

"ICE-MAKE: ARROWS!" Gray bellowed before firing multiple arrows of ice at the eggbear with his bow.

The eggbear roars furiously as he holds up its right arm to block Gray's ice arrows. It has no desire in letting its human enemies get the upper hand. As soon as Gray finish firing all of his arrows, the eggbear clenches its claws tightly and slams them onto the ground, creating a powerful tremor that cause everyone to stumble. Erza, Alicia, Judith and Gray manage to keep their balance while Lucy, Juvia, Natsu, Gajeel and Cana lose their balance and fall to the ground.

"Guys!" Darren cried as he and Karol watched in horror from a distance.

Cana growls as she throws her cards at the eggbear like shurikens. "Take that!"

The eggbear responds by letting out a powerful roar that sends the cards flying back to Cana. "Darn!" Cana cursed as Alicia runs past her. She leaps into the air and swipes her arms, swinging her yo-yos at the eggbear.

The yo-yos successfully hit the eggbear at its forehead, causing it to stumble backwards. As Alicia lands back on the ground, Judith takes the opportunity to run up to the giant creature and shout, "MOONLIGHT HAVOC!"

She jumps into the air and delivers a powerful kick to the bottom of the eggbear's chin. The creature growls in pain as Judith swings her left leg back diagonally and delivers another kick. This time, her attack landed on top of the eggbear's head as she brings her leg down. She lands back on the ground before turning back to the eggbear and thrusts her spear at its chest.

"NEW MOON BLADE!" Judith shouted as her attack sends the eggbear flying through the air and colliding against a tree behind it.

"Whoa!" Natsu said as the members of Fairy Tail watch Judith's attack in awe.

"Amazing." Lucy murmured. As Judith stood up straight and lowers her spear, Lucy narrows her eyes as she watches her chest. "And they bounce gracefully too…"

"This is our opportunity, guys! Deliver the final blow!" Gray yelled.

"Right!" Erza said as her armor now transforms into her Lightning Empress Armor. Her lance also turns into a spear with a ribbon that has two loose strands tied underneath its circular wheel. She aims her spear at the eggbear as the ribbon's strands form into the limbs of a bow. A ball of energy forms at the tip of the spear and Erza shouted at the top of her lungs as she fires a large beam of lightning at the eggbear, "LIGHTNING BEAM!"

The beam of lightning collides against the eggbear and everything went white. When the light dies down, everybody look back and see that not only several trees have fallen over and a huge trail of rubble was marked on the ground, but in the distance, the eggbear is now lying down flat in an unconscious state.

"Alright!" Natsu yelled with a grin on his face. Lucy, Juvia and Cana cheered while Erza, Gajeel and Gray smile triumphantly.

"Incredible." Darren uttered, amazed by the display of strength and unity that the members of Fairy Tail and Brave Vesperia had shown.

"Is it over?" Karol asked as they come out of the bushes.

"Yup, sure looks like it." Alicia said to her leader as she and Judith gaze at the motionless creature.

A smile takes form on Karol's face as he proclaimed while pointing his finger into the air, "Then it's a job well done for Brave Vesperia!"

"Ahem." Erza coughed before she transforms back into her Heart Kreuz Armor. Her spear also turns back into her normal sword.

"Oh right, and Fairy Tail." Karol chuckled as he turns to Erza and rubs the back of his head.

Darren smiled as he watches Natsu, Lucy, Juvia, Gray, Gajeel and Cana chatting with each other and celebrating over their victory against the eggbear. "So that is the power of Fairy Tail. I guess people really do stand strong when they work together as a team…and as friends…" Darren's eyes softened as he lowers his head for a moment.

Alicia suddenly pats Darren on his back and said to him, "Come on. What are we waiting for? Let's get that eggbear claw and bring it back to the town."

"Oh right." Darren nods his head to Alicia before everyone walk their way over to the unconscious eggbear. As Karol kneels beside it, he draws out Judith's machete. Everybody watch as the boy carefully lifts up the eggbear's paw and saws off a claw.

"Sorry that we had to do this." Darren said morosely to the eggbear.

"Oh don't worry. They'll grow back." Judith reassured him.

Darren perked up and said, "Then all is good!"

"Ssshhh! Quiet." Lucy chided him softly.

"Oh right." Darren quickly lowered his tone.

A few minutes later, Karol stood up and raises the eggbear claw in the air. "Alright, we got it! Now let's head back to town and create our antidote!"

* * *

"And so, realizing that he achieved nothing after revenge, the hare was overwhelmed with sorrow and remorse, and he begs the tortoise for forgiveness. The tortoise forgives him and the two finally made up. And they both live happily ever after. The end." When Sheena finished telling her story, the three children applauded as they sat on the ground, staring at her intrigued the whole time.

"That was a great story, ma'am." The girl said to Sheena.

"Glad you enjoyed it." Sheena said.

"Are we still heading out of town though?" The boy asked the leader of the trio.

"I…" The leader lowers his head, contemplating over the story Sheena had told them. "I don't feel like it anymore." He gets up from the ground and walks back to the town square. "I want to go home."

"Me too. Goodbye Sheena!" The other boy said to her as he gets up and follows after his friend.

"Bye." Sheena replied as she waves her hand. As the girl gets up, she walks over to Sheena and smile at her as she grabs her hand.

"Thank you for the story. You helped make me feel better." The girl said to Sheena with gratitude as she shakes her hand.

Sheena stares blankly at the girl for a moment before a wide smile plasters across her face. She bows her head to the girl and responded, "You're welcome." The girl backs away and waves goodbye to Sheena before turning around and running back to the town square.

"Good job, Sheena." Yuri said as he, Estelle, Wendy, Happy and Carla walk over to her. "You've actually done a good deed by telling the children…an interesting story."

"You guys were listening as well, huh?" Sheena shrugged. "It was nothing." She takes a good look at Yuri's new clothes and her lips curved into a smirk. "And hey, that's a very nice outfit you got there, lieutenant. I didn't know you had such a fine and slim body."

"Thanks. But please, from now on, just refer me as Yuri." Yuri said as he looks down at the new outfit he bought from the town's store. No longer is he dressed in his Rune Knight uniform. Now, he is wearing a black long-sleeved tunic which reveals his chest, a brown sash, black pants, grey boots and a golden bracelet around his left wrist. His sword is now sheathed in a brown scabbard that has a white ribbon tied around it, with its other end wrapped around his right hand.

"I knew the outfit I chose for you will suit you perfectly." Estelle smiled at Yuri.

"And I'm surprised you know my size." Yuri commented, causing Estelle to chuckle and blush.

"I wonder if the others are done dealing with eggbear and making their way back to town right now." Wendy wondered as she carries a bag filled with important supplies that her friends needed for their journey.

"Hey everyone! We're back!"

Huge smiles immediately appear on the faces of Wendy, Happy and Carla when they heard Natsu's cheerful voice.

"Natsu!" Happy cried happily as they whirled about and see their fellow guild members walking back into town with Darren, Alicia, Judith and Karol.

"Guys!" Wendy said to the members of Fairy Tail while Karol holds up the eggbear's claw triumphantly with a huge grin.

* * *

After the members of Fairy Tail and Brave Vesperia brought the eggbear claw and the healing bottle over to the town's store, the storekeeper helped mix the two items together to create an antidote for the tree. When the storekeeper is done, everyone, including the townspeople and their leader, head to the top of Halure's tallest hill and gather in front of the giant tree.

"Alright everyone. Let's see if this works." Karol said as he holds up the antidote to everyone present.

As Karol turns around and walks over to the tree, Alicia takes a deep breath and murmured, "I hope so."

"Let's see if our efforts pay off." Natsu mumbled before Lucy jabs her elbow against his arm.

"Be an optimist!" Lucy chided her friend.

When he is near the trunk, Karol kneels down and pours the antidote onto the ground. When he finished pouring all of the bottle's contents, the petals on the tree began to glow through the night, causing everyone to perk up as they felt their spirits being lifted.

"It's working!" Gray said.

"It's so beautiful." Juvia commented.

Karol stood up and looks up at the tree with a huge smile. "I don't believe it!"

However, only a few seconds later, the smile on Karol's face disappears when the colors of the petals faded and the town is consumed in darkness once again. Everyone gasped.

"What happened?" Sheena asked in shock and horror.

"It didn't work after all?" Cana said with her eyes wide.

"No! It can't be!" Karol cried in dismay. "That's not true!"

"Oh no…" Alicia uttered.

"Hey, at least we can make another healing bottle, right?" Darren asked the town leader, hoping that things can still turn around.

"We can't. One of the ingredients needed to make the healing bottle were fresh petals from the tree. The ones I gave to Fairy Tail and Brave Vesperia were the last I have." The town leader replied dishearteningly.

"Then we're doomed." One of the town's residents said with a sense of hopelessness as he lowers his head.

"When the Abbey comes here again, this town will disappear." Another resident said as she and her daughter hug each other in distress.

"Guys please! Don't give up hope now!" Erza shouted to the townspeople, trying her best to lift their spirits up but to no avail.

"This is terrible!" Another resident cried.

"What are we going to do now?" A child whimpered, shaking uncontrollably in fear.

"Guys please, calm down!" Lucy urged the townspeople.

"WHY?!" Karol shouted in despair as he collapses onto his knees. He hangs his head down and slams his fist on the ground. "WHY DIDN'T IT WORK?!" He began choking as small tears form through his eyelids. "W-w-why…"

Wendy runs over to Karol's side and kneels beside him as she places her hands on his shoulders. "Karol please, get a hold of yourself." She said softly.

"No…I can't…" Karol replied hoarsely as he shakes his head.

Estelle looked around, seeing the expressions of sorrow and hopelessness on the townspeople's faces and the looks of anguish and distress on the members of Fairy Tail and Brave Vesperia as they try to calm them down. She turns back to the tree and lifts her head up with a deep frown. "If Karol's plan doesn't work, everyone in this town will…" She slowly walks over to the tree.

"Estelle?" Yuri said as he watched her.

"Where are you going?" Carla asked. As Estelle walks past Wendy and Karol, the two look up and watch her questioningly. Darren, Sheena and the other members of Fairy Tail turn and observe her as well.

When she is near the trunk, Estelle closes her eyelids and clasps her hands together. "Please…" She pleaded.

A few moments later, countless shards of light began appearing from the ground and float into the air. Everyone gathered around the tree watch in awe and astonishment.

"Bloom!" As Estelle looks up, a large beam of bright white light erupted through the trunk of the tree and burst into the night sky. Everyone widen their eyes and gape their mouths open as the withered petals on the tree regain its natural pink colors and shine through the darkness, bringing light back to the once dark and depressed town of Halure. Even the leaves and flowers that were growing on the tree's roots began to grow again and bigger than before. Soon after, several large halos form above the tree, forming a gigantic sphere of energy around the boundaries of the town before disappearing.

Everyone present in the town couldn't believe it. Life has been restored to the great tree of Halure and the magical barrier that protects their town has returned.

"It's beautiful…" Alicia said.

"Indeed." Darren agreed.

"The tree…" Wendy said as she and Karol smiled at the alluring sight before them.

"It's blooming!" Karol cried.

Suddenly, the townspeople erupted with cheers and applause, knowing that their beloved town is protected once more and will no longer have to worry over the threat of the Abbey. As if her energy has been drained from restoring life back into the tree, Estelle collapses on her knees and lowers her head.

"Estelle!" Karol cried as he, Alicia and Judith run up to her.

"Are you okay?" Judith asked in concern. Estelle turns to her fellow guild members and smiled weakly at them.

"I'm okay." Estelle whispered. Karol, Alicia and Judith smile back at her before helping her get back up to her feet.

"We did it. We saved the town!" Natsu yelled happily as he throws his fists into the air.

"Yay!" Happy cheered as he floats into the air and raise up his paws.

"Another job well done!" Lucy added as she stood beside him. Natsu gave his friend a smirk before he and Lucy bump their fists together. Darren smiles as he watches the two.

As they stare at the beautiful blossoming of Halure's tree, Juvia sighs blissfully as she leans her head on Gray's shoulder. Gray flinched momentarily before calming himself down and smile as he looks down at Juvia.

"This is truly a beautiful world we live in, isn't it?" Erza asked Sheena.

Sheena stares blankly at Erza for a moment before nodding her head and giving Erza a wan smile. "Yeah, it sure is." She said.

Moments later, the town leader approach Darren, Sheena, Yuri and the members of Fairy Tail and Brave Vesperia. He bows to them with an overwhelming sense of gratitude.

"Thank you so much for bringing the barrier back! Because of you, we will no longer worry about the Abbey again! Fairy Tail, Brave Vesperia, is there anything we can do to repay all of you?" The town leader asked. Soon after, the stomachs of the members of Team Natsu growled and rumbled. Lucy and Erza chuckled sheepishly while Alicia, Judith and Estelle giggled.

"Perhaps a good meal for all of us is enough to reward us." Lucy suggested with her cheeks blushing.

"Very well then! All of you are invited to stay here for the night and have a lavish dinner from our finest chefs!" The town leader said with a warm smile.

"Great! Be sure to serve us lots of delicious meat!" Natsu said enthusiastically.

"And lots of fish!" Happy added.

"Is that the only kinds of food you guys can think of?" Darren asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Well, what else do you think we should eat?" Natsu asked.

"Oh I can think plenty. Mee goreng. Nasi lemak. Hainanese chicken rice." Darren widens his eyes in realization. "Oh right, you guys never heard of them." He sighs as his arms hang limply at his sides. "I guess I truly miss Singapore." Alicia momentarily stares at Darren in silence before she places her hands at the sides of her hip and chuckled.

"Man, you sure know your food as much as Natsu." Sheena implied.

"What about you? I'm sure you would want sushi and tempura, right?" Darren asked Sheena.

Sheena stares back at her friend in bewilderment. "What's that?"

"Huh?! You're kidding, right?!" Darren cried incredulously.

Suddenly, Gray's stomach growled again, causing him to place his hand on his abdomen. "Geez, the more you guys talk, the more famished I am!"

Everyone with the exception of Gray began laughing at the whole situation in general, and Team Natsu is glad that everything has ended well.


	7. Halure, Part 3

As promised as their repayment for reviving Halure's tree, the chefs of the town's inn had prepared their finest food for Darren, Sheena, Yuri and the members of Fairy Tail and Brave Vesperia to relieve their hunger. Everyone is now currently sitting inside a huge private room in the inn's restaurant where they all stare at the delicious food that had been placed in front of them which includes smoked sausages, boiled eggs, fried chicken, fried salmons, a strawberry vanilla cake, cups of sorbet, and a large bowl of fruits.

When his stomach growls again, Natsu chuckled before yelling with a huge grin on his face, "Let's eat!"

"Yeah!" The others said in unison as they grab the food and have their dinner.

Natsu and Gajeel grab the drumsticks from the fried chicken and hastily chow down on them as the heavy eaters they are. Happy and Carla grab the salmons and gnaw on them. After only eating their drumsticks halfway, Natsu and Gajeel started grabbing several sausages, placing them on their plates and vigorously chomp on their food.

"Is this how these guys eat all the time?" Alicia asked Lucy and Sheena with an apple in her hand, looking disgusted at the Dragon Slayers as she sat beside them.

"Yup, that's exactly how I remember Gajeel eating his food." Sheena smirked as she rolls her eyes back.

"I know it's pretty gross, but you'll get used to it." Lucy replied to Alicia smiling before eating her smoked sausage.

Alicia turns to Sheena and Darren who are sitting beside Lucy and sighs. "And it looks like they aren't the only ones who behave like that."

Lucy turns her head as well and sees Sheena and Darren taking huge bites of their burgers. After swallowing his food, Darren lets out a blissful sigh and said, "This is delicious! I have never eaten anything this good ever since I first arrived to Underwood!"

"I know right? Back there, we only have loaves of bread. What's up with that?" Sheena said before taking another chomp of her burger.

"Seriously, it felt like we were losing weight back then!" Darren yelled exasperatedly before munching his food again.

"Well, it's good to know you guys are eating such good food again, but don't go eating too fast now or you will-" Alicia gets cut off when she heard Gajeel throwing out. She and Lucy turn back to the Dragon Slayers and see Gajeel throwing out his chunks of food onto the plate with his face grown red, causing Alicia to shudder. Natsu laugh triumphantly, knowing that he has beaten Gajeel in their little competition of 'Who is the best eater of Fairy Tail?'. Alicia frowns in disgust and continued, "End up doing that."

"Yeah, in your face, Gajeel! Hahahaha!" Natsu chortled while Gajeel turns to the side and lowers his head in defeat with his tongue sticking out. Alicia inches away from the Iron Dragon Slayer.

As the other occupants of the table laugh at the display, Cana rolls her eyes as she sat at the other side of the table. "There they go again with their mindless scuffles." Cana said irritably before drinking her mug of alcohol.

"I think it's amusing." Yuri smirked as he sat next to her eating a boiled egg.

"Huh. That's very unknightly of you." Cana remarked with an arched eyebrow.

"Never like being one anyway." Yuri shrugged. "I was just obligated to do so."

"Hmm, you sound like you're better off being a mage like us." Cana said to him with a smirk.

"Well, I guess I never meant to be like my friend after all." Yuri deadpanned as he looks back at his food and continues eating.

Meanwhile, Erza, Wendy, Juvia, Estelle and Judith are sitting together eating the desserts. As she holds up her plate of a slice of strawberry vanilla cake, Erza picks up a small portion of it with her fork and places it into her mouth. Her eyes sparkle as her lips curved into a wide blissful smile.

"I have to give the people of Halure credit. Just like every other city across Fiore, their cakes are absolutely exquisite!" Erza cried out joyfully.

Wendy and Juvia scoop some strawberry sorbet from their glass cups and eat them. They squealed in response as they felt the delectable sensation inside their mouths.

"This tastes great!" Wendy exclaimed.

"Juvia absolutely loves this!" Juvia cried, smiling down at her sorbet as she places her hand on her right cheek.

When they heard Estelle chuckling, Wendy and Juvia turn to her questioningly. "What is it?" Juvia asked.

"Sorry. It's just…I haven't hung out with other people for a very long time, and this is probably the biggest gathering of friends I've ever attended yet." Estelle smiled sheepishly at her and Wendy before taking a bite of her sorbet.

"I gas you must've bin vary lonesum most of yer life, huh?" Natsu asked with his mouth full.

"Natsu..." Lucy warned her friend, feeling annoyed that he is both talking with his mouth full and asking such a personal question to someone they had just met.

"It's okay." Estelle said to Lucy. "But yes, you're right Natsu. I have been lonely throughout most of my life, especially because I rarely step out of my residence."

"Really?" Lucy's eyes softened as she is reminded of her childhood with her parents. "I know how that feels like…"

"But I'm glad I have friends now." Estelle smiled as she looked at everyone before turning to Judith and Karol. "Especially ones who I can travel with around the world."

"So if you rarely step out of your home, how did you end up with Brave Vesperia, Estelle?" Gray inquired as he puts down his chicken wing on his plate.

"Well um…" Karol struggled to answer his question as he lowers his banana. But he quiet down when he sees Estelle holding up her hand at him.

"Are you sure about this?" Judith asked Estelle in concern. The pink haired woman smiles at her and nodded in response. She lowers her hand and gently places her spoon down before standing up from her seat.

"Everyone, my real name is Estellise Sidos Heurassein, and I am not just a member of Brave Vesperia, but also the mayor of the town of Zaphias." Estelle introduced herself. The members of Fairy Tail gasped.

"No wonder why you look familiar." Yuri said as he lowers his mug.

"What do you mean?" Natsu asked Yuri.

"I've seen pictures of her back in the Magic Council. She really does look different now with her hair untied." Yuri replied.

"Zaphias, the first town to fall to the hands of the Abbey." Lucy uttered. Estelle nodded.

"I'm sure you are all aware about the Abbey invading towns throughout the southern parts of Fiore, right?" Estelle asked Darren, Sheena, Yuri and the members of Fairy Tail. Everyone solemnly nod their heads. "Lucy is right. The fall of Zaphias marked the beginning of the Abbey's campaign in conquering all of Fiore with their motivations still unknown. Our defence forces didn't stand a chance against them. They attacked us by surprise and invaded my palace. Thankfully, I managed to escape with the help of my commandant and his men. After I left my palace, I came across our town's guild, Brave Vesperia. With the efforts of Karol, Judith and their allies, they protected me from my pursuers and escorted me to safety. And since then, I've taken refuge within their guild."

"Wait, allies?" Erza asked.

"We actually have other members in my guild besides Judith. But they were all captured by the Abbey while helping Estelle escape." Karol said sombrely, grimly reminded of his fellow guild members who are still back at Zaphias.

"I joined them later." Alicia clarified to everyone.

"My commandant was the one who contacted the Magic Council about this before he was taken by the Abbey. Since then, the council sent out the Rune Knights to fight them as they continue their invasion throughout the south of Fiore. But despite their best efforts, the Abbey still remain active and even now forming a nation of their own." Estelle explained. "But I believe there is still hope in turning the tide against them. That is why Brave Vesperia and I are planning to travel to the southwest region of Fiore."

"What for?" Darren inquired.

"To visit a civilization known to have fended off its invaders and remain in isolation for generations…" Estelle answered. "Mizuho."

Hearing the name of her hometown had brought Sheena a sense of shock and confusion. Unaware that she had drop her burger onto her plate, Sheena stared blankly at Estelle as she uttered incredulously, "Mizuho? You wish to go there?"

"Yes." Estelle said. "I know Mizuho has maintained an isolation policy for many generations and will continue to do so. But I believe in times of war, if we are going to fight back the Abbey and liberate the towns they have captured, everyone who can still fight must stand and unite together."

"Surely Mizuho has some sort of magic they use that has helped defend them from outside forces for many generations, right?" Karol inquired. "If we can have Mizuho use that exact same magic against the Abbey, we can finally start kicking their butts out of Fiore."

"Sheena here is-" Darren gets cut off when Sheena stomped on his foot. "OW!"

"What about her?" Alicia asked as she, Estelle, Karol and Judith stare at Darren and Sheena curiously.

"I'm a bonafide explorer." Sheena grins at the members of Brave Vesperia. "So if you would excuse me, I would like to take a small walk around town for a bit." She gets up from her chair and hastily walks her way out of the room.

"Sheena, wait!" Darren calls out to his friend as he gets up, goes after his friend and leaves the room. Natsu, Gray, Lucy, Erza and Wendy look at each other. Erza tilts her head, gesturing the other four to follow after her before they get up from their seats and head to the door. They open it and step out of the room as well.

"Huh." Karol stares blankly at the door. "Well, they haven't really seen much of Halure after all."

* * *

Shortly after stepping out of the inn, Natsu, Gray, Lucy, Erza and Wendy walk over to Darren's side and see Sheena standing in the distance. As Sheena kept her head down, the others stare at her as Darren asked, "Sheena, why don't you want to tell them that you're from Mizuho? We could help escort them to-"

"Because I don't want to go back there!" Sheena cried as she whirled about and glare at them.

Darren sighs heavily and said to her, "Let me guess, because you got bad memories of that place or something bad happen to you in past blah blah blah, right?" He turns his head and sees the members of Team Natsu staring at him dumbfounded. "Yeah, I watched too much anime."

Lucy snaps out of her thoughts and said to Sheena, "Didn't you hear what we said to Darren earlier back at the forest? We all have our bad moments, but we choose to stay strong and move forward."

"You wouldn't say that if you knew what I've done." Sheena replied morosely as she turns her head away.

"Maybe you won't tell us now. But if you keep running away from your past, then I'm afraid even we can't help you." Erza said sternly.

"Stay helpless and let the whole world keep pinning you down." Gray narrows his eyes as he folds his arms. "Is that what you really want?"

"Tch." Sheena snorted with her brows furrowed. She looks back at them and replied hoarsely, "I'm just…I'm scared. It's been so long but…after what I did, I don't know if my people would ever accept me again. Everybody whom I knew and grew up with…they all turn against me as soon as I made the worst mistake in my life. Do you know how it feels being disowned by the people you knew and cared about?"

Darren and Team Natsu stare wordlessly at Sheena as they notice tears beginning to form in her eyes. She wipes them off from her eyes and whimpered, "If I go back there, I'll just be shunned again by everyone around me. And I don't want to go through that ever again!"

"That is not the Sheena I know." Darren said firmly. Sheena's eyes widened as she drops her jaw, shocked by his words as she just stood there and watch Darren walk up to her, "The Sheena I know back at Underwood was strong, cocky, brave, and helped people when they are down. You weren't afraid to help me when I first arrived to this world, so why are you afraid to see your own kin again?"

"Darren…" Sheena murmured.

"If you are truly still afraid, then I'll go to Mizuho with you. As long as you have me, you won't have to worry about facing your problem alone." Darren said.

Sheena pursed her lips as she became beset with confusion. "I don't understand Darren. You can't fight at all and yet you sound as if you want to help me. Why? You could just go to Era with Fairy Tail right now and stop getting yourself involved in any of this."

"I could." Darren nodded. "But I don't want to turn away from a friend who needs help. Not this time."

Sheena continued staring at Darren in pained silence, gazing into his determined eyes as she contemplates what he had said to her. She eventually took a gulp and pushes the strands of hair away from her eyes before managing to respond barely above a whisper, "Thank you."

Darren nods his head and holds his hand up. Sheena grabs it and the two friends clutch their hands together tightly. They later lower their hands as Team Natsu walks up to them. Darren turned to see the smiles on their faces.

"We are willing to help you too, if you make a formal request to us." Natsu said to Sheena.

"Then I, Sheena Fujibayashi, would like to request Fairy Tail to accompany me to Mizuho." Sheena said to Team Natsu.

"On behalf of Fairy Tail, Team Natsu formally accepts your request." Lucy replied as she bows her head.

"Whatever happens, always know that we are on your side." Erza said, smiling confidently at Sheena as she folds her arms. Wendy chuckled as she and Gray hold their thumbs up at her.

Sheena frowned at them as tears begin forming in her eyes again. "Thank you. All of you." She replied softly.

"And actually, I would like to make a request to Fairy Tail too." Darren said to Team Natsu. "I still don't know why Mavis Vermillion bestowed the katana upon me, and it's up to me to find out why. But the only way I can do that is if I have the help of Fairy Tail, as well as having the skills to fight my enemies and defend myself and the people around me. And after seeing how you guys fought the eggbear, Fairy Tail..." Darren gave a solemn bow to them. "I request all of you to help me find Mavis Vermillion and train me in becoming a skilled swordsman."

Team Natsu continue staring at Darren for a few seconds before Erza approaches him and smiles as she bows back. "On behalf of Fairy Tail, Team Natsu gladly accepts your request." She said.

As he and Erza stood up and look back at each other, a huge smile takes form on Darren's face before replying to her, "Thank you so much!"

Sheena wipes away her tears before she and Darren turn to each other and smile as they have received a huge sense of relief that they now have the strongest guild in all of Fiore on their side.

* * *

In the morning, the townspeople and their leader bid farewell to their saviours. Darren, Sheena, Yuri and the members of Fairy Tail and Brave Vesperia wave goodbye to them as they make their way to Halure's entrance. After stepping out of the boundaries of the town, Juvia, Gajeel and Cana are prepared to make their way to Era to report to the Magic Council. As for the others, they are preparing to travel to Mizuho. And that means…

"Do we really have to part ways again, Gray-sama?!" Juvia sobbed with tears flowing down her cheeks like tiny waterfalls as she stares into Gray's eyes and clings onto his arms.

"I'm afraid so. Not to mention you and the others shouldn't keep the Magic Council waiting." Gray replied.

Juvia sniffed before backing away and wiping away her tears. "Then promise Juvia that you will stay safe." She manages to choke out.

"Of course I will." Gray nodded.

"Love is in the air…" Happy teased as he stood behind him.

"SHUT UP!" Gray snapped as he turns to the Exceed.

"Well, there is one other thing you guys can do for us before heading to Era." Erza said to Cana, Gajeel and Juvia. "There is a councilman named Ragou whom we left behind before coming to Halure." Erza turned and pointed to the direction where they had left the councilman. "Just keep heading north and you'll find him. And be sure to use your lacrima to detect him so that you'll know that you are near his location."

"Will do." Cana smirked. "Until we meet again." Erza smiles back at Cana as they grab each other's hands and shook.

"Lucy, if something bad happens to Gray…" Juvia muttered as she shot daggers at Lucy.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure everything will be fine…" Lucy reassured her nervously.

Juvia's glare instantly turns into a warm smile as she waves goodbye to Lucy, "Okay then, have a safe journey everyone!"

"See you guys!" Natsu said as he and the others wave goodbye to the three.

"See you again soon, Sheena!" Gajeel smiled as he and Juvia wave farewell to Sheena.

Sheena gave a small smile as she waves back at them. "See you around, Gajeel and Juvia."

Everyone watch as Juvia, Gajeel and Cana walk past them and make their way into the forest to find Ragou before heading to Era. After the three made their departure, Erza and Karol turn to each other and the former asked, "Are you ready, Brave Vesperia?"

"Always!" Karol cheered as he, Alicia, Judith and Estelle smile and stand together proudly.

"And thank you again Sheena for agreeing to escort us to Mizuho." Estelle said, bowing to Sheena with gratitude.

"No problem." Sheena replied. Last night, after returning into the restaurant, Sheena revealed to everyone present in the room that she is from Mizuho, and after some thought and consideration, she has agreed to take Estelle and Brave Vesperia to her hometown, as well as assisting them in talking to her kin's leader to join the fight against the Abbey. Hearing all of this has brought an overwhelming amount of happiness to Estelle and Brave Vesperia and they thank her for her assistance. And because he has no intentions of returning to the Magic Council anytime soon, Yuri has agreed to go along with Sheena, Darren, Team Natsu and Brave Vesperia to do whatever he can to help them.

Erza turns to Darren and asked, "And are you ready for your training, Darren?"

Darren boldly stares back at her and nods his head solemnly. "I'm ready." He replied firmly.

"I hope so because you'll be surprised to know what I have in store for you." Erza smirked. Darren chuckled nervously, but managed to maintain his composure and kept a confident smile on his face.

"Wow, it feels like this group has really gotten bigger, hasn't it?" Alicia said as she takes a moment to have a good look at the people around her.

"It sure is. As if we have made a lot of new friends." Judith agreed.

"And I'm so happy that we'll be continuing our travels together with several new companions." Estelle added with a bright smile. The others look at each other, smiling as they agree with Estelle's sentiment.

"Now then, Fairy Tail!" Erza ordered.

"Brave Vesperia!" Karol yelled to his own guild.

"Let's go!" The two leaders proclaim together.

"Aye!" Everybody else responded in unison before they all depart the town and begin travelling to their next destination.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that concludes the Halure story arc. I hope you guys enjoy reading and stay tune for more! Happy Valentine's Day!


	8. Training, Part 1

Erza woke up everyone at the wake of dawn, much to everyone's dismay. Darren lets out a huge yawn as he, Natsu and Gray rose up from their mats. After Darren ruffles his hair and Natsu finished clicking his tongue, much to Gray's annoyance, the three got out of their tent to see the others getting up and leaving their own tents as well. It's been a day since they have left Halure, and they had set up their campsite in the middle of a large grassy field separated from the tall trees of the forest.

Alicia successfully started the campfire and Judith began cooking breakfast for everyone. Meanwhile, the other girls went to the back of their tents to brush their teeth. Darren, Natsu, Gray, Happy, Karol and Yuri walk into the trees to brush as well.

The six males stood in front of some bushes not far away from the campsite and they proceed to brush their teeth while they each hold a mug of water. After rinsing his mouth with water and spitting out its contents into the bushes in front of them, Darren turns to the others and said, "I have to say, all of this really feels nostalgic to me."

Karol spits out the contents in his mouth into the bushes before replying, "How so?"

"Well, during my youth back in my world, I remember me and my schoolmates going on a camping trip and we would set up tents and sleep together just like what we are doing at our campsite right now. And during the day, we would go through lots of intensive training and exercises together." Darren explained.

"Oh, just like what my friend and I went through back in the Rune Knight academy." Yuri implied.

"Yeeeaaahhh, similar to that." Darren said. "But anyways, once the day is over though, we would prepare our dinner and the campfire together. And then when the campfire is lit, we sit around it, eat our dinner together, talk and chat with each other, and we all sing-"

"Okay, we get it." Gray deadpanned as he rolls his eyes. "You have done similar things like this back in your world."

"Yeah, I was starting to ramble. Sorry." Darren said apologetically. "But it's just that…" His eyes softened as his lips curved into small blissful smile. "Being able to do all of this again with so many people…really does makes me feel happy. It not only helps relive those nostalgic days for me…but also make up for all the things you wish you could have done, not cherish enough of it back then and hope you can do it all over again. It does put my heart at ease a bit, and that's great."

"It sounds like you never really had a lot of friends back in your world." Natsu said.

"Yeah, you're right." Darren admitted as he nods his head. "I never really got along well with others, which is why I don't have a lot of friends. And the ones I do have…" He blows out a heavy sigh. "I really wish I could see and talk to them again."

"That doesn't sound right. Everybody should have lots of friends." Happy said.

"I think so too. But sometimes, things can be complicated…" Darren frowned. "And irreversible too."

"Hey! Are you guys done yet?!" Erza barked, causing all the males except Yuri to cringe.

"We're coming!" Natsu replied as he turns his head to the direction of their campsite.

"Good! Because breakfast is here and you better eat them while they're hot!" Erza calls out to them.

"Aye." Yuri deadpanned.

"We better get back now." Karol said.

The males hurriedly return to the campsite and see the girls gathered around the campfire and passing plates of food to each other. They sit beside them and Alicia hands Darren a plate of eggs as he sat next to her.

"Here you go." Alicia said.

"Thanks." Darren said as he takes the plate. He looks down and frowns, realizing that the only things that are on his plate are two fried eggs. He turns to the others and notices that their plates not only contain eggs but also sausages and bacon.

"Why do I only have eggs?" Darren asked in annoyance.

"Because Erza doesn't want you to eat too much before your training." Alicia replied before she began eating her own breakfast.

"That's right. Have you forgotten about it?"

Darren turns his head and sees Erza walking up to him from behind with a bold glare.

"Oh boy…" Natsu murmured as he and Gray shiver upon seeing the dark expression on Erza's face.

"It's that look again." Gray added.

"HAVE YOU?!" Erza shouted at Darren when she didn't get a response from her apprentice.

Darren jolts up from the ground and yelled, "YES MA'AM!"

"Finish your breakfast already so that we can move off." Erza said sternly to him. Darren hurriedly chows down his eggs, passes the now empty plate back to Alicia and gave a salute to his instructor.

Erza extends out her hand, magically summoning a wooden sword. As soon as she grabs its hilt, she tosses the weapon over to Darren who easily catches it. "Are you ready for your training?" She asked.

"I'm ready." Darren gave a solemn nod.

"Good." Erza said before summoning another wooden sword in her hand. She turns to Alicia and asked, "Alicia, would you like to come with us?"

"Why?" Alicia asked in confusion.

"Because I wish to take Darren somewhere far away from here for the next two days, to free himself from any distractions. But we'll need a guide to escort us back to camp when our training is done." Erza explained.

"Go on, Alicia. Do your part to help them out." Karol ordered her.

"Very well then." Alicia replied. She puts down the plates, gets up from the ground and dust off her shorts and stockings. She walks over to Erza and Darren and said to them, "I hope to get to learn more about you two."

"So do I." Darren replied.

"The rest of you will take care of yourselves while we're gone." Erza said to the others firmly.

"Aye-aye, captain." Natsu murmured.

"UNDERSTOOD?!" Erza barked at Natsu.

Natsu flinched for a moment before standing up straight and shouting back at her, "AYE-AYE!"

"Good." Erza said before turning back to Darren and Alicia. "Let's go, you two."

"I hope things don't get chaotic while we're gone." Darren said to the others.

Karol chuckled as he puts down his plate and gets up from the ground. He places his fists at the sides of his hip and confidently replied, "Don't worry guys. You can count on me to maintain peace here in the campsite, for I am the guild master of Brave Vesperia!"

"Good luck, Captain." Alicia smiled at her leader.

The three turn around and depart from the campsite, leaving their companions behind and head deep into the trees beyond.

"Good luck with your training, Darren!" Lucy cheered.

"And take good care of yourselves!" Wendy added.

Darren, Alicia and Erza nod their heads and wave goodbye to them before turning back to their front. Everyone watch them continue walking further away from the campsite until they vanish from their sights.

"Alright guys." Karol turns to the remaining denizens of the campsite. "Natsu, with your fire magic, help keep the flames of our campfire burning. Gray, Yuri, Estelle, help us find food and gather more wood for our campfire. Lucy, Sheena, tidy the tents. Happy, Carla, clean the dishes. Wendy, Judith, keep watch of our campsite. Get going, everyone!"

Everyone except Judith and Estelle stare at Karol dumbfounded. They are surprised to see such a young boy able to issue commands professionally like a true guild master. Judith turns to the others and gets up from the ground. "Well, what are you waiting for? Move out!" Judith commanded with her hands at the sides of her hip.

"Right!" Gray said as everyone put down their plates, get up and perform their assigned duties. Natsu kneels down in front of the campfire and gently blows at the flames. Judith magically summons her spear as Wendy walks over to her.

"Well, it seems we are assigned the same task together. I would love to get to know more about you." Judith said, smiling at Wendy.

"I look forward to it!" Wendy smiled back at her. As the two women walk off, Sheena grumbles under her breath as she and Lucy go over to the tents.

"Why is it that even after leaving that awful restaurant, I'm still assigned to doing cleaning duties?" Sheena muttered.

"Come on Sheena. At least we'll be working together." Lucy said encouragingly. Sheena groans as she pushes the curtain aside and enters the tent with Lucy behind her.

Karol smiled as he watches Happy and Carla cleaning the dishes with their tails. "Keep up the good work, guys. And when you're done, perhaps you can join Gray, Yuri and Estelle in finding a river and catch some fish for us." He said to the Exceeds.

"You got it!" Happy replied happily before he suddenly clean the plates at a faster rate. Carla groans and shakes her head.

"I knew that would work on him." Carla muttered before she continues cleaning the other dishes.

"You sure know how to make orders around like a true leader." Natsu complimented Karol.

"Thanks." Karol replied as he turns to him.

"So Karol, I was wondering, why do you want to form a guild of your own despite your small age?" Natsu asked.

"Well, back at Zaphias, I actually had an idol." Karol admitted, scratching the side of his chin.

"Hey, I had an idol too!" Natsu said as the smile on his face widened.

"Really?" Karol asked.

"Yup, my idol is my father Igneel." Natsu grins at the boy. "He was wise, caring, and his lessons helped me become what I am today."

"Wow, that's nice. For me, my idol is a mage named Don Whitehorse. He is the guild master of Altosk, the strongest guild of Zaphias." Karol replied, placing his hands at the sides of his hip. "He was big, tall and strong fighter. But he was still calm and friendly to everyone. He and his guild helped contribute the economy of our town and they care a lot about the well-being of its residents. His genuine kindness to everyone in Zaphias is what inspired me to join Altosk. Of course at first, the members think lowly of me because I was just a kid, but Don was actually willing to give me a chance and made me a member of his guild. It made me really happy and I will never forget that display of kindness he gave to me." Karol momentarily lowers his head and his eyes softened. "Sadly, I only knew him for a year before he suddenly died from his illness. And with his death, because everyone in Altosk was disheartened and do not wish to take over his position out of respect, his entire guild dissolved as well." He looks back up at Natsu who is still staring wordlessly at him. "But my memory of him is what inspired me to become better, and I later decided to form a guild of my own." Karol narrows his eyes boldly at Natsu as he holds up his fists and clenches them. "Now, my greatest goal in life is to make Brave Vesperia become the next strongest guild of Zaphias!"

Natsu smiled at Karol, impressed by the boy's strong sense of determination. Wendy, Judith, Happy, Carla, Lucy and Sheena also smile at the boy as they have been listening to his explanation.

Karol watched in confusion as Natsu stood up from the ground and places his hands at the sides of his hip. He grins at the boy before saying, "Well, if you are so determined to become the master of the next greatest guild of Zaphias, how about I teach ya how to fight?"

"Huh?" Karol said incredulously.

"Well, during our last fight with the eggbear, you were clearly hiding away from the action because you are scared, right?" Natsu asked.

Karol sighed and lowers his head and fists as he admitted, "Yeah, I was."

"Unfortunately, you can't be a great guild master if you are not stronger than your own followers. But no worries!" Natsu places his hand on the boy's shoulder. Karol looks back up at him again as he continued, "Let me help ya become a great fighter just like the rest of us! I'll make sure you will never get scared of a fight ever again! What do you say? Would you like me to teach you?"

As Natsu winks an eye at him, Karol stares wordlessly at him for a few moments as he felt surprised and nostalgic by his sudden offer.  _'Don Whitehorse…'_

Finally, a huge smile takes form on Karol's face a few seconds later. He nods his head and replied to Natsu, "Thank you so much, Natsu! I accept your offer to train me!"

* * *

For the next thirty minutes, Darren, Erza and Alicia continued walking through the forest, going over logs and weaving around tall trees along the way. Alicia led the way as she helped Darren and Erza navigate through the forest. As they walk deeper, they began hearing a rushing sound. They also see that the forest is thinning and the trees are becoming sparser from each other as they continue walking.

"Did you hear that?" Alicia asked, turning her head to Darren and Erza behind her. The two nod their heads back in response. Alicia smirked at them. "It means we are getting close."

"Close? To what?" Darren asked in confusion.

"You'll see." Erza said.

When they finally step out of the forest, Darren and Alicia widen their eyes as they and Erza arrived at a cliff. They proceed to walk nearer towards the edge of the cliff. They see that below it and in front of them is the vast blue ocean. The rushing sound they heard earlier came from the water churning and crashing into the cliff. Darren and Alicia stared at it in awe, admiring the beauty of the ocean.

"It's gorgeous." Alicia said softly, completely taken away by the beautiful scenery before her.

"Indeed." Darren said as his lips formed into a small smile. "I've never seen anything like this up close before." He slowly turned to Erza. "Erza, don't you-OW!"

Without warning, Erza jabs the tip of her wooden sword into Darren's stomach, pushing him backwards. Alicia gasped in shock and backs away as Darren bends over and groans in pain while clutching his stomach.

"You let your guard down by distractions!" Erza scolded as she holds up her sword in front of her and gets into a fighting stance. "NOW EN GARDE!"

Erza swiftly took a step forward and thrusts her sword at him. Darren quickly dodges the attack by turning to his side and slightly bending his body backwards. Alicia simply stood by idly and watched the two begin their training.

As Darren turns back to his front, Erza quickly backs away and swings her sword horizontally at him. Darren holds up his sword to block her attack. Suddenly, Erza lifts her knee up and hits Darren at the side of his stomach. Darren groans as he took a few steps backwards. But he didn't get even a full second to take a breather as Erza suddenly did a running jump and kicks him in the chest, sending him sprawling through the ground. Alicia cringed at the sight of it.

Darren lifts his head up with his eyes widened in both shock and surprise. Surprised mainly because he thought he had been practicing wushu for years back in his world, and yet he lacks the stamina and agility to see and block Erza's attacks in time.  _'This is actually I tougher than I thought.'_

"That was sloppy and pathetic!" Erza barked at her apprentice. "Do you even have any prior experience in fighting?"

"Well, during my youth, I would practice wushu in my school." Darren replied as he grabs his sword and slowly got up from the ground. "But that was really a long time ago, and I only got back to learning self-defense again from Sheena."

"I don't know what this wooshoo is, but if you are going to fight the Abbey and protect the people around you, you have to work twice as hard to rekindle the flames again." Erza said. "Now come at me!"

Darren lets out a yell before charging towards Erza and swinging his sword horizontally at her. Erza swiftly dodges the attack by leaning her body backwards. Before Darren could react, Erza jumps into the air and delivers a twirling kick across his face.

"OWW!" Darren yelled in pain as he places his hand on his cheek. As Erza turns back to Darren, she delivers an uppercut, hitting directly underneath his chin. This sends him stumbling backwards, dropping his wooden sword in the process. Erza suddenly charges up to Darren and stood in front of him, holding up her wooden sword in front of his throat. Darren froze with his hands held up, breathing heavily as he stares down at Erza in shock.

"Whoa…" Alicia said softly as she watched in awe. She is amazed by Erza's speed and fighting skills, but also concerned that Darren may not be able to keep up with her.

"That was the most pathetic display of swordsmanship I've ever seen." Erza said icily to Darren as she pushes aside a few strands of hair from her eyes. "NOW GIVE ME FIFTY PUSH-UPS!"

As soon as Erza removes her sword and moves aside, Darren adjusts his glasses and drops down with his hands pressed on the ground. He anxiously did his push-ups, not spending a second to turn his head and see Erza standing at his side and watching him with a dark glare.

Darren grumbled under his breath as he did his exercises. "This is going to be like National Service all over again…"

* * *

As they sat behind the campfire, Lucy, Gray, Sheena, Yuri, Estelle, Happy and Carla watch Natsu and Karol facing each other while standing several meters away from them. Wendy and Judith remain standing as they stood nearby and anticipate the upcoming session as well. Everyone had finished eating their lunch fifteen minutes ago and both Natsu and Karol are eager to begin their training.

"I totally love to see how Natsu tries to be an instructor." Gray said to Lucy with a small smirk.

Lucy glares at Gray and jabs her elbow against his right arm. "Be an optimist!" Lucy chided.

"Go Karol! I'm rooting for you!" Estelle cheered, smiling at the boy as she claps her hands. Karol gave a nod to Estelle before turning back to Natsu.

"Alright Karol. The first thing we'll do is throwing some punches." Natsu said with his hands placed at the sides of his hip.

"Umm…I don't know…" Karol replied.

"Why? Is there something wrong?" Natsu asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Natsu, I'm not a brawler. I don't fight with my fists like you. I fight with a hammer." Karol said, holding up the hammer in his hands. Upon this realization, Natsu lets his arms hang limply by his sides and stares blankly at Karol with his mouth agape and his eyes wide.

Gray groans and shakes his head. "Seriously?! He didn't notice that until now?!" He cried.

"We're really off to a great start." Yuri muttered as he buries his face into his hands.

"Umm, Natsu?" Karol asked, bewildered by the dumbfounded look on Natsu's face.

"Uhhhh…" Natsu uttered, struggling to respond to his student. He slaps himself across his face before suggesting to Karol, "Well, if that is the case, I think you'll need a weapons instructor."

"But who else can fight with a hammer like me?" Karol asked in dismay. "Using a hammer is different than fighting with a sword and spear, so I can't really have Yuri or Judith teaching me. And Erza isn't around here right now."

"Well…" Natsu scratches the back of his head, looking around in confusion until he sees Lucy gesturing him to come over. He turns back to Karol and said, "Excuse me for a moment."

"Okay." Karol said dishearteningly as he puts his hammer down on the ground. Natsu turns and runs over to Lucy.

Lucy gets up from the ground and asked Natsu when he is near her, "Can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Yeah." Natsu nodded. The two walk away from the others and the campsite.

When they are several meters away from the campsite, Natsu grabs his hair in despair and cried to Lucy, "Aaaggghhh! I don't believe this! Why didn't I realize he wasn't a hand-to-hand combatant like me before I agreed to be his instructor?!"

Lucy sighs heavily. "You are always such an idiot." She said.

"Lucy, what should I do?!" Natsu asked, hoping to receive a satisfying answer from his friend.

Lucy gave Natsu a reassuring smile as she folds her arms and said, "Well, do you still remember the fights you have with anybody who wields a hammer or a similar weapon?"

Natsu rubs his chin and pouts as he pondered, "Well, there was this Rala guy back at the Sun Village years ago."

"Oh yeah, I remember that." Lucy deadpanned.

"Oh! And I remember how your celestial spirit Taurus swings his axe!" Natsu said with his eyes widened.

"That's right!" Lucy perked up. "Do you remember how they fought with their weapons?"

"Well, it's basically just swinging around and down but also holding up the weapon with strength and precision while fighting too." Natsu said.

"Correct." Lucy nods her head. "And I know you never use a hammer or axe before, but at least you can still teach Karol with what you have visualize."

"Hey, that's right! Thanks Lucy!" Natsu grins as he places his hand on Lucy's shoulder.

"Heh. You're welcome!" Lucy smiled back at her friend as she places her hands behind her back. The two walk back into the campsite, with Natsu eager to continue his training with Karol.

"Alright Karol. Let's-" Natsu suddenly cuts himself off when he noticed something unexpected happening in the campsite right now. In the distance, he sees Gray lecturing Karol while holding his makeshift hammer made of ice, and the small boy attentively listens to him as he speaks. Natsu's jaw plummeted as he stares at the display in shock and horror for a few seconds before screaming at the top of his lungs, "WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED?!"

"Oh, while you two were gone, Gray volunteers himself to be Karol's instructor since he had fought with a giant hammer with his Ice-Make magic." Sheena explained.

"Oh right, how can we forget about Gray's Ice-Make: Ice Hammer?" Lucy said as she throws her head back and places her hand on her forehead.

Natsu's look of shock soon distorts into a grimace of pure rage. He growls and shakes his fists uncontrollably as he watches Gray training who was supposed to be his apprentice. "THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!" Natsu bellowed as he runs over to the two.

"Natsu!" Lucy cried out to her friend.

"This is not going to be good, isn't it?" Estelle asked nervously.

"I believe so." Yuri replied grimly. Gray stops his lecturing for a moment as he and Karol lower their weapons and turn their heads to see Natsu running over to them, quivering with rage.

"GRAY!" Natsu shouted as he stops and stands beside Gray. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"

"What does it look like? Since you couldn't teach Karol here because you never fought with a hammer, I choose to have him under my wing instead." Gray said, arching an eyebrow at Natsu.

"I think you meant he's under  _my_ wing!" Natsu yelled at Gray.

"WELL HE'S MY STUDENT NOW!" Gray snapped.

"NO HE AIN'T!" Natsu shouted back.

"SHUT UP, FLAME BREATH!"

"ICE CUBE SUCKER!"

Everyone present in the campsite stare blankly at the two men as they continuously argue and shout several creative nicknames at each other.

Wendy sighs heavily before murmuring, "Where's Erza when you need her?"

"GUYS! STOP!" Karol shouted, which is thankfully loud enough to make Natsu and Gray stop their pitiful argument. The two men turn to the boy and stare at him questioningly. "Look, if it makes you both feel better, I guess I can have two instructors. Is that okay?"

Natsu and Gray glare at each other before turning back to Karol again. "Alright." The two said in unison and nod their heads at the same time.

Karol sighs in relief.  _'I hope Darren has better luck than me.'_

* * *

For the next two hours, Erza gave Darren plenty of exercises while Alicia idly watches them. First, Erza orders Darren to lie on the ground and do sit ups. She stood in front of him with her wooden sword held firmly in her hand. Darren huffed every time he pulls himself up from the ground with his hands placed on the back of his head. Every time he gets up, Erza will swing her sword horizontally at his head. Darren would quickly lie back down on the ground before her sword could hit him and the process repeats.

Afterwards, Erza and Darren stood in front of each other as they grasped their wooden swords while Alicia sat nearby against a tree and ate a loaf of bread that she had kept inside her pouch. Erza lets out a yell as she swings her sword vertically at Darren, delivering an overhead strike. Darren quickly reacted by holding up his sword and blocking her attack. However, only a brief second after the two stayed at a stalemate, Erza quickly lifts up her knee and hits him in the stomach.

"ARGH!" Darren groaned as he bends over. This allows Erza to push him on his chest, sending him reeling backwards until he trips and falls to the ground.

Next, Erza and Darren go over to a tree that has a large horizontal branch grew out of its side. She instructs him to grab onto the branch and do fifty pull-ups. Darren grits his teeth and snarled as he slowly pulls himself up until his chin reached over the top of the branch. Afterwards, Darren throws himself back down without having his feet touching the ground and repeats the process. The fact that he is using every ounce of strength he had to pull himself up made him realized how long he hadn't been doing any intense exercises.

While Darren does his pull-ups, Alicia and Erza leaned against the tree. The latter is holding a copy of  _'Sorcerer Magazine'_  and the two girls read it together.

Alicia chuckled as she and Erza read an interview inside the magazine. "Sherria Blendy is so adorable." She commented.

"You can ask Wendy if you want to know even more about her." Erza said to Alicia.

"Really? She knows her?" Alicia asked, looking surprised.

"What did you say?" Darren asked, stopping for a moment and turning to the two women.

"Did I say you can stop and talk?!" Erza shot a glare at him. Darren flinched. He turns back to his front and continues exercising.

Next, Erza and Darren stood in front of each other again. By that point, Darren is feeling completely worn out, much of his exhaustion contributed from the pull-ups. Erza swings her sword vertically again and Darren blocks it by holding up his sword. She lifts her knee up, but this time, Darren shoves it away with his free hand.

"Heh." Darren smirked at Erza triumphantly. But without warning, Erza stomps on Darren's foot, making him throw his head back and yell in pain. This allows Erza to push him in the chest again and sends him reeling backwards.

Afterwards, just when Darren thinks his training session couldn't get any tougher, he is doing push-ups again. Only this time, Erza is sitting on his back Indian-style and continues reading her magazine. This time, she's reading the poll results for  _'Who is the most attractive mage in Fiore?'_ Alicia on the other hand has gone off to gather wood for a campfire.

Erza clicks her tongue as she sees the poll results for the women. "Jenny Realight is second? Come on, she isn't that attractive compare to Mira." She mumbled.

"When I'm done…can I…see how Jenny…looks like?" Darren asked, struggling to speak between his push-ups.

"No." Erza said flatly, her eyes fixated on her magazine. Darren groans as Erza gently turns to the next page with her fingertips.

Finally, Erza and Darren stood in front of each other once again. As soon as Erza's stomach did a twist, Darren immediately lifts his sword up, knowing she is about to deliver an overhead strike again.

But instead, Erza swings her sword horizontally and Darren yells in pain as it hits the side of his stomach. He stumbled to side for a moment before Erza pushes him in the chest, sending him reeling backwards again. As Darren trips and falls to the ground, Erza lowers her weapon and shakes her head in disappointment.

* * *

Back at the campsite, Yuri and Estelle continue watching Natsu, Gray and Karol as they sat behind the campfire. Sheena has gone back into her tent to take a nap while Lucy, Happy and Carla have gone off to gather more wood for the fire.

Meanwhile, Natsu and Gray growl at each other before turning back to Karol.

"Alright, Karol." Both men said to the young boy in unison, much to his discomfort. Judith shakes her head as she and Wendy watched while standing nearby.

"Y-y-yes?" Karol asked nervously.

Gray gets into his fighting stance while holding his ice hammer steadily in his hands. "Relax yourself and calm your mind in order to keep your hammer steady in your hands." He instructed.

"And then swing it down when you are near your enemy." Natsu said as he points at a human statue made of ice behind Karol. The statue is clearly a creation of Gray which he has kindly provided for the training session. Karol turns around to face the statue while clinging onto the hilt of his hammer.

"Okay." Karol said. He holds the hammer in front of him while gazing at the statue. He takes a deep breath, slowly lifts his hammer up and-

"Halt. Are you aiming at the statue's head?" Natsu asked Karol.

"Yeah, I think so." Karol said, lowering his hammer while gazing at the statue in front of him.

"Okay, just asking." Natsu said before backing away from the boy.

Karol breathes heavily again before slowly lifting up his hammer-

"Wait! Your arms are shaking." Gray said, staring at Karol's arms.

"Huh? Am I?" Karol said as he lowers his hammer again and examines his arms.

"No he wasn't." Natsu said to Gray irritably.

"But I did notice them shaking a little bit." Gray said to the Fire Dragon Slayer.

"I guess you're both stupid and blind." Natsu muttered.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" Gray shouted at Natsu.

"YEAH YOU HEARD ME!" Natsu snapped back.

"YOU BETTER SHUT UP OR I'LL KNOCK YOUR BRAINS OUT, CHARCOAL HEAD!"

"YOU SHUT UP TOO, FREEZER MOUTH!"

"THAT'S IT! I HAVE ENOUGH!" Karol screamed at the top of his lungs. Natsu and Gray instantly went silent and look back at the boy as he places his hammer down in frustration and whirled about. The two men widen their eyes as they see Karol snarling back at them.

"I HAD IT! I JUST HAD IT!" Karol continued shouting in rage as he stomps his foot. "All I just want is a decent training session from two members of the strongest guild in all of Fiore! But instead, for the last few hours, both of you are more focused on arguing among yourselves who is so much better while I am pushed to the wayside and not being taught anything!"

Realizing his mistake, Natsu tried to reply back to Karol, "K-Karol, I'm so sorry. I-"

"Shut up!" Karol yelled angrily as he jabs his finger at Natsu. "I accepted your offer to be my trainer because I thought you cared about me. But I guess I was wrong!"

"Karol, please calm down." Gray tried to reason with him.

"Then what?!" Karol turns to Gray and barked at him. "So that I can continue listening how stupid Natsu is compare to you? Yeah, as if I haven't known that for the last few hours! I…GAAAHHH!" Karol clutches the sides of his head and throws himself back before turning away from the two men and hastily walks back to his tent in rage and frustration.

As Natsu and Gray wordlessly watch their apprentice depart, they couldn't help but feel a heavy amount of guilt and shame inside them. The two continue standing there in a state of shock and remorse until they heard a cough.

"Ahem." The two men turn around to see Judith standing behind them. The woman glowered at them with her arms folded. "You two really should be ashamed of yourselves." Judith chided them. "Karol is a bright boy who is eager to learn something new and train himself hard. Yet you squandered his opportunities by only caring about yourselves."

Natsu and Gray lower their heads. "I guess we overdid it…" Gray murmured as he folds his arms.

"We were so focused on fighting each other until we lost sight of our main priority." Natsu said softly with his hands placed at the sides of his hips.

"You can make up for it by first reflecting upon your actions. Then, once you two have sorted it out, go directly to him and apologize. And when you do that, it better be from your heart." Judith turns around and walks off, leaving the boys to contemplate what she had said.

Moments later, Natsu and Gray look up at each other and nod their heads.

* * *

As he and Gray stood outside the tent, Natsu pushes the curtain aside to see Karol sitting on his mat with his head hanging down dejectedly.

"Hey there, are you okay?" Natsu asked Karol in concern as he and Gray slowly entered.

"Yeah, I've calm down. I guess." Karol replied wearily.

Natsu and Gray go over to the boy and sat beside him. "Karol, we're really sorry for what happened and what we did." Gray said apologetically.

"Yeah, what we did was really terrible." Natsu added.

Karol sighs painfully. "It's alright. I forgive the both of you. But I just want all of us to get along and work together. Isn't that what a guild is all about? That's what Don Whitehorse always tells us back at Altosk."

"Yeah, you're absolutely right. Unfortunately it seems we have forgotten what our own guild master taught us as well back there." Natsu said. "So Gray and I have thought of a better way to teach you. Instead of the both of us teaching you at the same time, Gray and I will take turns in doing so."

"We still wish to help you, Karol. But this time, we'll need to have less arguments and more discipline." Gray added.

Karol perked up as he looks back at Natsu and Gray. "Sounds good to me!"

Natsu and Gray smile back at Karol before the former said, "So what are you waiting for? Let's get back out there and continue our training!"

Karol nods his head in agreement. "Thanks guys. I really appreciate it."


	9. Training, Part 2

_**Training, Part 2** _

"97…98…99…100…"

"That's all for today." Erza said as she closes her magazine. Darren groans and collapses onto the ground after finishing his fifth round of push-ups today.

"Thank…God…" Darren took labored breaths as he laid there and let his sweat freely roll down the sides of his head. Erza walks over to him and gave a slight kick to his shoulder.

"Come on, get up. You look like a dead Vulcan." Erza said flatly.

Darren lifts ups his head and snapped, "I am most certainly NOT one of those…" He looked to the side and paused for a moment before turning back to Erza. "Whatever they are!"

"Would you like to do 25 more push-ups for yelling back at your instructor?" Erza gave Darren a dark, menacing glare. Darren flinched at the sight of it. He quickly gets up from the ground and sits down Indian-style.

"No, of course not. Sorry for yelling at you." Darren replied with a forced smile as his hands on his knees trembled.

"Good." Erza said before magically summoning two warm towels and hands one of them to her apprentice.

"Thanks." Darren said to her gratefully as he takes a towel from her. As he wipes off the sweat from his head and body, Erza turns to Alicia.

"You may pass him his dinner." Erza instructed.

Alicia scoops some vegetable soup out from a boiling pot placed above the campfire. After pouring the soup into two metal bowls, she walks over to Darren and hands one of them to him.

"Bon appetit." Alicia said.

"Yes, finally!" Darren said ecstatically as he takes the bowl from her.

"Ahem." Erza coughed, getting his attention.

Darren looks up at Erza who gestures him to Alicia. He turns to Alicia and sees that she is giving him a blank stare. Darren realized his mistake and said to her apologetically, "I mean, thank you…for the food."

"You're welcome." Alicia replied as she nods her head.

"You guys go ahead and eat. I'll keep watch of the area for a while." Erza said as she uses her own towel to wipe herself.

"Okay." Darren and Alicia both replied before Erza turns around and walks off.

Alicia sat beside Darren and said to him, "I hope you like it. It's salted vegetable soup."

Darren scoops some of his soup and vegetables with his spoon and eats it. He widens his eyes before removing his spoon from his mouth and commented, "It tastes good."

"Thanks." Alicia replied. Darren turns to her and sees a huge smile plastered across her face. They both stare wordlessly at each other for a moment before Alicia chuckled and asked, "What is it?"

"N-N-Nothing." Darren replied awkwardly as he looks back at his bowl of soup. "I just think…you are really talented. I mean you know how to cook dinner and navigate through a forest. It's like you are a true adventurer or something."

Alicia laughed. "Thanks again." She said as she pushes a few strands of hair away from her eyes. Alicia looks back at her own bowl of soup and the two quietly eat their dinner.

When they finished eating their food, they place their empty bowls aside on the ground and look up at the full moon that is shining brightly in the night sky and above the sea.

"It looks so beautiful up close." Alicia said softly.

"Indeed." Darren murmured in agreement.

"Soooo you're actually not from this world, huh?" Alicia asked Darren.

"Yeah." Darren simply replied.

Alicia paused for a moment before turning her head to Darren and asked, "How is it like?"

"What do you mean?" Darren asked as he turns to Alicia.

"I mean, how is your world like?" Alicia shrugged. "And also…how are things going on there?" Alicia explained.

"Oh, it's pretty boring actually…and admittedly, a bit chaotic too." Darren replied.

"How so?"

"Well, it's boring because mostly every day, you wake up from bed, get ready to go to work or school, and then when that's over, you go back home, have dinner with your family, do whatever remaining work you have left, go to bed, and then repeat the whole process again tomorrow…unless tomorrow is a weekend but that depends on your job too." Darren explained.

Alicia chuckled. "I can totally virtualize that."

"And it's chaotic too because…well, we humans are complicated. We are always finding ways to fight each other out of anger, pride, greed or selfishness…" Darren lowers his head as he paused for a moment. "And we just keep fighting until…it's too late for us to realize that our fights have deeply affected the people around us."

"Politics suck, right?" Alicia asked. Darren laughed a bit before looking back at her.

"Yeah, that's true." Darren said.

Alicia sighs heavily before looking back at the moon. "I wish people can just get along and live together peacefully as well. That is why I love Mother Nature so much. Every time you get yourself out of the human habitat, you will realize just how beautiful the world we live in actually is." She frowns and murmured. "And even that, we are slowly destroying it."

Darren looks back at the moon as well. "No matter how intelligent we are, we are still so clueless in many ways." Alicia nods her head in agreement.

"I see you two are done with dinner." Erza said as she walks over to them.

"Yup, it was great." Darren said as he and Alicia turn to her.

"Good." Erza said as she came to a stop. Darren gasped as Erza summons her wooden sword. "Now Darren, let's spar one more time."

"Ummm, actually, can I go for a toilet break?" Darren asked.

"Oh." Erza said, narrowing her eyes in disgust. "Okay, just go. But don't go too far away from here, and don't take too long either."

"I won't." Darren shakes his head. He hurriedly gets up from the ground and the two women watch him sped off into the trees.

"Actually, I would like to take a toilet break too." Alicia said sheepishly to Erza. "May I?"

Erza sighed. "Everybody's suddenly doing it." She murmured. "Alright, you may go as well. And make sure Darren doesn't lose his way."

"No problem." Alicia gets up from the ground and runs off into the trees.

* * *

Darren bends over and catches his breath after running several miles away from the training area. After doing several intensive exercises throughout the entire day, Darren wished he could finally relax. But Erza's suggestion of having another sparring session after dinner made him want nothing more than to flee from that demonic drill sergeant with scarlet hair. Darren stood up and flexes his arms, wincing as he felt the aching pain inside his muscles.

"I don't know if I can survive another day of this!" Darren said exasperatedly.

"Darren?"

Darren cries out in surprise before whirling about and raising his hands in front of his face. "Please do not tor-" He stops mid-sentence when he realized that he is facing Alicia, who stares back at him in confusion.

"Are you okay?" Alicia asked in concern.

Darren sighs in relief before replying, "I'm fine. It's just…I am so tired and stressful throughout the entire day! And I still have another day of this tomorrow!" Darren ends by turning to the tree beside him and placing his forehead against its trunk in frustration.

As Darren blows out another sigh, Alicia walks over to him and pats him on his back. "I'm sorry. I know how you feel." She said softly.

"I just wish I can relax right now because I'm sooooo exhausted. Please just let me lie down on a soft armchair and have a nice drink too. And speaking of drinks, I really miss drinking cola." Darren said wearily.

"I like to relax too. But that's human nature." Alicia shrugged. "We all have to get our butts up and work every day. And if we don't do something for ourselves, who will?"

Darren backs away from the tree and turns to Alicia. "Sometimes I wish Mavis could have given the sacred weapon on someone else instead of me. Because what exactly am I good at?"

"Sir, we found him."

Darren and Alicia gasped. "Did you hear that?" The latter asked.

"Good. Where is he?"

Darren widens his eyes and drops his jaw in horror as he recognized the dreadful voice. "It's him…"

"Who?" Alicia asked softly. Darren slowly turns around and cautiously walks over to the direction of the voice. "Darren, where are you going?" She said barely above a whisper. But Darren ignored her as he kept walking. Knowing that Erza has assigned her to not lose sight of him, Alicia reluctantly follows him from behind.

Darren and Alicia walk over to a row of shrubs. He widens his eyes as he sees a familiar group of soldiers. He quickly places his hand on Alicia's shoulder and they both duck down and hide behind the shrubs.

"What's going on?" Alicia asked worriedly. Darren responded to her by placing a finger in front of his sealed lips. The two slowly rise up and take a peek at what is going on. Darren widens his eyes upon seeing a familiar figure that wore a white conquistador helmet and a golden mask. He and Alicia could see him and five other praetors gathering around a man with gray hair and moustache and wears a light brown cowboy hat, a light brown sleeveless jacket, a white long-sleeved shirt, black pants and black boots, lying on the ground in pain and confusion.

Mala Makra approaches the man and kneels down to his level. "Tell me, sir. What is your name?"

After taking a few deep breaths, the man looks up at the masked knight and replied, "Herschel. My name is Herschel."

Mala nods his head. He turns to the praetors and ordered them, "Get him up. And check on him."

Three praetors walk over to them. Two of them go around Herschel and carefully pick him up by his arms. Herschel groans as he still felt the pain coming from his legs. Mala steps aside to allow the third praetor to stand in front of him. Herschel watches in confusion as the third praetor gets out a device and thoroughly scans his body.

"Tell me Herschel. Where are you from?" Mala inquired.

"Austin, Texas." Herschel replied.

Darren gasped and whispered, "A city from my world."

"What were you back in your hometown?" Mala asked.

"A mem'er of the Austin Police Department. My rank was lieutenant." Herschel said. He groans again as he couldn't feel his legs. "Sir, please help me. I don't remember how I ended up 'ere…but I think I hurt my legs…as if I just had a fall or somethin'."

The third praetor steps away from Herschel when he finished scanning him. He turns to Mala and said, "There are no traces of magic inside him."

"Magic?" Herschel said questioningly. "What the hell is he talking about?"

Mala nods his head to the praetor before turning to Herschel. "Don't worry, sir. Everything will be fine…as long as you willingly corporate with us." He turns to the two other praetors who still standing behind him. "Bring him back to the ship."

Herschel widens his eyes in surprise as he watches the two praetors magically summon two staffs with large metal claws at the top of them. After grabbing hold of the staffs, the praetors aim them at Herschel's neck. They activate them and the claws opened, causing Herschel to gasp in horror.

Darren and Alicia drop their jaws as they continue watching from behind the shrubs in terror.

As the praetors approach him, Herschel helplessly struggles to break free from the praetors who are still holding onto him, but they firmly grasp onto his arms and stood in place. "W-w-what are you doing to me?! Who the hell are all of you?! What's going-ACK!"

Herschel gets cut off when the praetors now clamp the claws around his neck and push him down, forcing him to get down on his knees. Alicia places her hands over her mouth as she trembled.

"Take him away." Mala ordered as he turned and makes his departure. Darren and Alicia quickly get down and conceal themselves behind the shrubs as Mala and the praetors begin to leave with Herschel. As they turn around and kneel, covering their mouths to keep themselves silent, all they could do is hear the helpless screams of distress and sheer terror from Herschel as he gets pulled up and dragged away by the Abbey.

"LET GO OF ME! HELP! SOMEONE HELP! PLEASE! SOMEBODY! HEEEELLLLPPPP!"

After the screams and footsteps have died down, Darren turns around, gets up and looks around to make sure that the praetors and Herschel have disappeared. He sighs in relief after knowing that Mala and his men are nowhere in sight.

He turns to Alicia and sees the girl burst into tears after the horrifying experience she and Darren had. Her sobs are muffled by her hands that are still placed over her mouth. Darren's eyes softened as he sat down beside her and places his hand on her back, comforting her as she silently weeps.

"Darren! Alicia!" The two look up to see Erza standing in front of them, staring back at them in confusion. "What happened?" She asked.

Darren glances at Alicia who wipes the tears away from her eyes. He looks back at Erza and replied, "I'll tell you when we get back."

* * *

"I see." Erza said grimly after Darren explained to her what he and Alicia had seen. The three are now sitting around the campfire while Alicia is still trying to emotionally recover from the terrible experience as she kept her head down and stares at the ground with tearstained eyes.

"I felt so useless, not being able to do anything because he was there. The praetor with the golden mask." Darren said dishearteningly.

"Yeah, I know who you are talking about." Erza said, vividly remembering her fight with Mala back on the Magic Council ship.

"That is why…I'm going to stop trying to be a swordsman." Darren said solemnly. Erza and Alicia look at him in shock.

"W-what?" Alicia asked dumbfounded.

"Because if I keep trying, I will never take Erza's training and my mission to find Mavis seriously." Darren explained. "I have to stop being so reluctant to do something. If I'm going to find Mavis, protect my friends, fight against the Abbey and rescue the people they have captured, I have to be serious about my responsibilities!"

Erza and Alicia watched in awe as Darren picks up his sword, gets up from the ground and stares boldly at his instructor.

"Erza, I want to be a swordsman. And I need you to help me." Darren said before holding up his sword and getting into his fighting stance.

Erza smirked at Darren before getting up and magically summoning her wooden sword. "That is exactly what I want." Erza said, getting into position as well.

Darren smiled back at her before letting out a yell as he charges towards her.

* * *

As soon as the sun rises up, Erza woke Darren and Alicia up and begins the second day of training. Darren does the usual push-ups and again, Erza sat on his back as he did. She magically summons her flask and takes a sip of water. As Alicia stood near them, she could see Darren taking heavy breaths every time he lowers his body before rising back up. She can tell that Darren could feel the weight and pressure on his back, but he remain firm, knowing he have to endure the pain in order to get himself stronger. A smile appears on Alicia's face as she couldn't help but admire his newly-gained sense of determination.

Later that day, as Alicia returns back to the campsite after gathering a pile of wood, Darren does sit-ups with Erza kneeling in front of him with her knees pressed on his feet. As Alicia kneels down and neatly places the wood together, she turns to Darren and noticed the grin on his face as he could feel himself regaining his strength and stamina after his years of slacking off. Alicia smiles at Darren again before she gets out her flint and starts the campfire.

Another hour later, as Alicia prepares breakfast, Erza instructs Darren how to swing and fight with his sword. Erza stood at the side with her arms folded. She scowled as she watched Darren swinging his sword both horizontally and vertically with every step he makes.

"Don't pause after every swing! Keep moving!" Erza yelled.

Darren then turns around and swings his sword around smoothly as he walks. He smiled as he felt his days of being a practitioner of Wushu coming back into his mind. He couldn't believe how long it has been since he actually wields a sword and shows off his fighting skills before giving up on his curriculum and become isolated from the public by drowning himself in video gaming and watching anime. But through Erza's training, he felt that sense of accomplishment and enthusiasm coming back to him.

After swinging his sword a few more times, he proceeds to do a cartwheel and a backflip. When he lands his feet on the ground, he quickly takes a step back and holds up his wooden sword horizontally in front of his face. A few seconds later, after coming back to his senses, Darren turns to Erza and Alicia who stare at him in bewilderment.

Darren chuckled sheepishly at them. "Sorry, it just suddenly came to me."

* * *

Later that day, after doing a couple more exercises, Erza finally decides to give her apprentice a break, much to his relief. As Darren and Erza put away their swords, Alicia approaches them with three metal plates containing eggs and bacon strips. She hands two of the plates to Darren and Erza and they thank her. The three go over to the edge of the cliff where they can eat and admire the view of the ocean at the same time.

"The ocean sure is beautiful, isn't it?" Erza asked.

"Yeah." Alicia said with a blissful smile.

"It sure is." Darren agreed. He looks down at his food and his teeth breaks into a grin. "Let's eat." He uses his fork to pick up a bacon strip before bending his head forward-

"HAAAAAH!" Suddenly, Erza yelled as she swings her sword vertically at Darren. Except this time, Darren swiftly dodges it by taking a step back. Darren turns to Erza and scowled.

"Nice try." Darren simply said to Erza. His master flashes a quick smirk at him as Alicia quickly walks away from them, knowing that another fight is about to happen.

Erza charged towards Darren and swings her sword horizontally at him. Darren dodges it again by sliding through the ground while holding onto his plate of food. He quickly turns around and get up, just in time to see Erza thrusting her wooden sword towards his face. Darren dodges again by moving sideways. He runs over to where he placed his sword down while Erza turn around and chases him from behind.

As Erza jumps into the air and prepares to deliver an overhead strike on her apprentice, Darren swiftly picks up his sword, turns around and blocks her attack by holding his weapon up. Erza lands on her feet and the two began letting loose a series of swift attacks at each other which they could keep up. As they are swinging their swords and blocking their attacks, they still both held onto their plates of food in one hand. Darren blocked a horizontal slash from Erza, who quickly switched and attacked vertically. When Darren blocks the attack, Erza quickly moves back and swings her sword horizontally at his stomach. Darren moves back and dodges the attack in time.

Darren then swings his sword horizontally at Erza, who quickly blocks it. She pushes him back and delivers a horizontal strike at his head. Darren ducked and slashed vertically. Erza jumps back as Darren gets up. The two yell as they charge towards each other and swing their swords diagonally at the same time. They entered a stalemate and they push their swords against each other. They scowled and never utter a single word as they just silently stood and gaze into each other's eyes.

Finally, after a few more moments, they lower their swords and back away from each other. Erza smiled warmly at Darren, proud of his brilliant display of swordsmanship.

"You did well, my apprentice." Erza said.

"Thank you, master." Darren said as a wide smile plastered across his face. The two bow their heads solemnly to each other before they stand up and see Alicia walking over to them.

"Great job." Alicia smiled at Darren. He chuckled in response before the three sat down on the ground and began eating their food together.

* * *

Natsu, Gray, Lucy, Wendy, Happy, Carla, Yuri, Estelle, Karol, Judith and Sheena sat around the burnt-out campfire, eating the apples and berries that they have collected from the forest the other day from their bowls.

"This taste gweat!" Wendy said with her mouth full as she happily munches on her apple.

"Even if it's different from the usual eggs and soup, this is a very acceptable substitute." Judith said in amusement before eating her berries.

Karol sighs happily after he finished eating his apple. He turns to Natsu and Gray and smiled. "Natsu, Gray, thank you for the lessons yesterday." He said gratefully.

"You're welcome." Natsu responded.

"And thank you and Judith too for teaching us something as well." Gray added.

"Huh? What did you guys learn?" Karol said in confusion.

"That if we put aside our differences and actually work together, the final results are truly rewarding." Natsu said.

Karol nods his head with a wide smile. "That's very true."

Gray chuckled as Natsu continues eating his berries. "I gotta say, for once, you actually sound pretty intelligent there." He said.

Natsu pouted and shot a glare at him. "What's that supposed to mean? It sounds like you're saying that this is the first time I actually sounded smart."

"Well, I mean most of time, you were dumb and-"

"You take that back, ice brain!" Natsu snapped at Gray as he stood up.

"Why are you shouting at me?!" Gray yelled back as he gets up from the ground and looks down at Natsu. "I was trying to be nice to you for once and you decided to ruin it, flame head!"

"Ice cubes for lungs!"

"Smoke breath!"

"Brains constantly melting from the sun!"

"Hoo boy, here we go again." Sheena deadpanned, rolling her eyes at the latest argument between the two men.

"I'm feeling…uncomfortable right now." Estelle said as she bites down her lower lip.

"Those two…" Lucy muttered as she shakes her head. "Acting wildly over the tiniest of things…"

"I guess some things about them never change." Karol shrugged.

"That is enough, you two!" A familiar voice scolded as she approaches the two men.

"SHUT UP!" Natsu and Gray both roared as they swing their fists in blind rage and deliver well-aimed punches into the woman's face. When the woman landed on the ground, Natsu and Gray look down at her and within a second, they drop their jaws in horror, realizing that the one they have punched…was none other than Erza Scarlet.

Everyone present in the campsite, including Darren and Alicia, has gone white as sheets as their eyes widened in complete and utter shock. Upon realizing what had happened and what they had done, Natsu and Gray yell in sheer terror.

Within a heartbeat, Erza jolts up from the ground and gave the two boys the ugliest scowl she had ever displayed in her life.

"So…" She uttered darkly.

Natsu and Gray scream one last time before Erza delivers the biggest beating she had ever given to anyone.

* * *

After packing up their stuff, everybody leave the field and continue travelling through the forest. Erza, Karol, Darren and Alicia took charge of the large group while Lucy and Yuri are both carrying Natsu and Gray respectively as the two are still dazed and badly injured by Erza's beating. Both boys, now having several bruises all over their bodies, have their arms wrap around the backs of Lucy and Yuri. The two held onto them as Natsu and Gray stagger alongside them. Everybody else walk ahead of them.

"Hope you guys learn a valuable lesson." Lucy muttered to the injured boys.

"Erza…hit me…badly…" Natsu mumbled in pain.

"So awful…scary…" Gray moaned, barely above a whisper.

Darren glanced at them before turning to Erza. "Perhaps you really went too far."

"Sorry but I can't remember the last time I checked how strong I really am." Erza replied as she cracked her knuckles. She turns to her apprentice and smiled, "Now then, are you looking forward to finding Mavis and travelling to Mizuho?"

"Yeah, I'm ready." Darren nodded.

"I hope so. Because the next time we face an enemy, you better not stand there idly and let others do all the work again." Alicia said to him.

"I won't let that happen again." Darren replied.

"Neither do I!" Karol said confidently as he pumps his fist into the air.

"Alright!" Darren laughed as he holds his fist up to Karol's level. Karol grins at him before giving Darren a fist-bump.

Darren, Karol, Erza and Alicia turn back to the front and smiled as they kept their heads held high, looking forward to continuing their journey…and hoping Natsu and Gray can recover from their injuries before their next battle.


	10. Operation Halo, Part 1

The city of Malba is a fairly small settlement located in the southern region of Fiore, housing roughly 30,000 people. A year ago, a dark guild known as Avatar attempted to invade the town and plan to sacrifice the lives of all of its inhabitants to participate in a ritual that would attract the attention of the Black Mage known as Zeref. But thanks to the efforts of Team Natsu, Avatar was quickly stopped and the town and its people were spared from invasion.

But a year later, the Abbey came to accomplish what Avatar couldn't.

The once small and peaceful town that is known for its mixture of urban settlement and lush greenery now serves as an outpost for the Abbey, and it's 30,000 inhabitants live and work in fear under their control.

Inside the building that once served as the town hall, a certain black-haired woman silently stood behind the large glass window of the mayor's office, looking out at the town and watching the praetors patrolling the streets. The civilians would bow down to them as they walk past them out of fear.

Suddenly, her moment of silence was interrupted when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in." Velvet called out.

The door opened, revealing a woman whose red hair is tied into two ponytails by yellow ribbons with blue flowers on them. She is dressed in a long-sleeved blue jacket, white gloves, and a white dress and long white boots decorated with yellow highlights.

The woman closes the door behind her after stepping in and gave Velvet a salute as she greeted, "Second Lieutenant Eleanor Hume reporting, ma'am."

"At ease. What's to report?" Velvet inquired as she continued staring out the window.

Eleanor looks down at the piece of paper she had been holding in her hand. "Captain Makra and his unit have retrieved a magicless human in Quoi Woods and are escorting him back to HQ." She reported.

"I see. Anything else?" Velvet asked.

"Also, according to Scout Squad 17, the barrier over Halure has been restored." Eleanor said.

"What?" Velvet whirled about and stares at the second lieutenant in shock. "How is that possible? I thought we have weakened that town's source of magic."

"We're not sure, but somehow they fixed it." Eleanor replied as she lowers her paper.

Velvet momentarily grits her teeth. "Do you think it was Fairy Tail? I remember our forces engaged some of their members in battle while attempting to invade Halure."

"Possibly. And with the barrier back up, I don't think we'll be able to commence another invasion on them anytime soon." Eleanor said.

"We won't. Leave Halure for now. Right now, I wish to go to Hargeon." Velvet said flatly as she clenches her fists tightly.

"What for, lieutenant?" Eleanor asked.

"To meet with Second Lieutenant Muruta Azrael and oversee Operation Halo." Velvet replied as she begins walking her way to the door behind Eleanor. As the second lieutenant moves out of the way, Velvet stops beside her for a moment. "At the meantime, Second Lieutenant Hume, you will stay here and serve as acting governor of this town."

"Understood." Eleanor nods her head. "But ma'am, don't mind asking, why do you suddenly wish to go to Hargeon?"

"Hargeon is one of the nearest cities to Magnolia, where Fairy Tail is headquartered." Velvet said, glaring at Eleanor. "If the people at Hargeon start panicking when we begin the operation, they will show up somehow. And if we wish to continue invading Fiore northwards, we must deal with Fairy Tail now."

* * *

After hours of walking from their last campsite, Team Natsu, Brave Vesperia, Darren and Sheena arrived at Hargeon Town by evening. The members of Team Natsu vividly remember this place, not only because they have been here a couple of times before, but also because this is the town where Lucy would meet Natsu and Happy for the first time and eventually become a member of the most powerful guild in Fiore, a decision which to this day, she never regret choosing.

Currently, everyone is walking through the town's marketplace which similar to Underwood, is made up of several stalls lined up along the sides of the road. The lights coming from the windows of the buildings and the lampposts installed alongside the pavements help illuminate the streets and bring life to the peaceful port town throughout the night.

One stall in the marketplace that immediately caught Estelle's attention was one that sells all sorts of books. She rushes over to the stall and began searching through the books that are on sale with her eyes grown as wide as saucers. When she found a book that interests her, she picks it up and begins reading it with her eyes gazing upon its pages and analyzing its contents.

"She sure loves to read, doesn't she?" Yuri asked Karol as they and Judith stood behind and watched her.

"Back in Zaphias, she rarely gets out of the palace and mostly passes her time away by reading all sorts of books in her library." Karol said to Yuri.

"I guess that's why everything beyond the boundaries of her town amazes her." Yuri said. Karol and Judith nod their heads.

Meanwhile, Sheena, Wendy, Happy and Carla are standing in front of another stall that sells plush toys. A huge smile is plastered across Wendy's face as the sky dragon slayer picks up a teddy bear and holds it up in front of her.

"This one looks really cute." Wendy commented as she and Carla look at the bear. Happy on the other hand continues looking at the other plush animals that are displayed at the stall.

"Yeah, I like the eyes." Carla said with a small smile as she examines the bear her friend is holding.

"I wonder if there's any plush animal that resembles a fish." Happy said as he continues staring at the plush animals on sale.

"What do you think, Sheena?" Wendy asked as she and Carla turn their heads to the older woman. But they notice that Sheena paid no attention to her as she silently gazed at a plush animal on the table that resembles a small yellow fox with black ears, orange hair, brown paws, and three long curled-up tails with green, light blue and dark blue stripes. It also wears a red necklace with a yellow bell around its neck.

The shopkeeper standing behind the table chuckled and asked Sheena, "You like it?"

"Huh?" Sheena snaps out of her thoughts as the shopkeeper picks up the plush fox and holds it up to her.

"Go on." The shopkeeper coaxed her. Sheena takes the plush fox from the shopkeeper and continues staring at it as she holds it in her hands.

After what felt like a few moments of silence, a huge smile finally appears on Sheena's face as her cheeks blushed. She holds the plush fox up to the tip of her nose as she began cooing sweetly, "Who's a cute little fox? Who's such a cutie little adorable foxy, huh?"

Unbeknownst to Sheena, Alicia laughed as she and Darren stood nearby along with Natsu, Lucy, Gray and Erza who are at a stall that sells healing potions and bandages.

"Your friend is actually quite funny." Alicia said to Darren as the two watch her.

"Nah, she just acts funny when she wants to." Darren shrugs.

After taking a bag of potions and bandage rolls from the shopkeeper, Erza hands him some jewel notes. "Here you go, sir." She said.

"Thank you very much." The shopkeeper smiled as he takes the payment from her.

"We appreciate the discount too." Lucy added.

"No problem at all. I'm just glad to see members of Fairy Tail in our town. With the ongoing war against the Abbey, I feel a lot more comfortable knowing that you guys are here." The shopkeeper replied.

"Right. With the Abbey invading several parts of the southern region of Fiore and Hargeon being located in the southeast, it's no wonder why the people in this town have become less lively." Gray said, having noticed that the townspeople in Hargeon are mostly quiet.

"But if an invasion does come to this town, we'll be ready." A voice said.

"Huh? That's supposed to be our line." Natsu said as he arches an eyebrow.

He, Lucy, Gray, Erza, Darren and Alicia turn to their right to see a man walking up to them. He has shoulder-length brown hair, purple eyes and dressed in a long-sleeved red uniform with two white straps over his body. Both at the side of his sleeves are white round circles with a black trident-shaped emblem in them and at the top of his shoulders are two black shoulder marks with white stripes and stars. The right strap has a silver buckle while the left has cobalt and gold badges pinned onto it. He also wore white gloves, red pants, a white belt with a silver buckle and black boots.

"Judging by your tattoos, you guys are from Fairy Tail, right?" The man asked Team Natsu as he places his hands at the sides of his hip.

"Yes, we are." Natsu said as he folds his arms. "My name is-"

"Natsu Dragneel." The man said before he could finish.

"Um, yeah." Natsu replied as he now stares blankly at him.

"And you three are Lucy Heartfilia, Gray Fullbuster and Erza Scarlet, right?" The man asked the other three members of Team Natsu.

"Yes, you're right." Lucy responded to him dumbfounded.

"Who are you? And how do you know who we are?" Erza asked, frowning at the man questioningly.

"Nolan." Yuri said as he walks over to the man from behind.

Nolan turns around and his eyes widened. He grins at Yuri as he places his hand on his shoulder. "Yuri, buddy! What a pleasant surprise to see you here! Though, why aren't you in uniform?"

"Long story short, I actually grew tired of being a knight. Guess I wasn't meant to be just like you." Yuri deadpanned.

"Come on Yuri, don't sound like that. Give me a smile, will ya?" Nolan asked. Yuri remains silent as he continues frowning at him. Nolan smirked as he suddenly places his finger at the side of Yuri's lip and pushes it up, managing to form a small lopsided smirk on his face.

"Stop." Yuri said flatly as he gently shoves Nolan's hand away.

Nolan sighs and shakes his head in disappointment. "You're no fun."

"Yuri? You know this guy?" Darren asked as Alicia and Team Natsu look equally surprised.

"Yup, he's a friend of mine back at the Magic Council." Yuri said to them.

Nolan turns back to Darren, Alicia and Team Natsu and places his right fist at his chest as he stood up straight. "My name is Captain Nolan Mathias." He points at the black trident symbol on the side of his left sleeve. "And I'm the leader of the Faction, a commando squad within the Rune Knights."

"A commando squad?" Gray said curiously.

"Oh and speaking of the Rune Knights, it was my brother who told me all about you guys." Nolan said as he lowers his hand.

"Your brother?" Lucy said puzzled.

Nolan holds up his finger in the air and slides it down. Darren and Alicia widen their eyes in amazement as Nolan magically brings up a folder in front of them. Nolan clicks on the folder and brings up several small photos. He clicks on one of the photos and it enlarges. Upon seeing the photo, Natsu, Lucy, Gray and Erza drop their jaws as they see Nolan, dressed in a black suit, pants and shoes, smiling as he stands beside and wraps his arm around a taller man who looks rather annoyed. The man has purple eyes, black hair tied to a bun and wears glasses, a white cape that drapes over his shoulders, white gloves, a long dark blue jacket with a light blue shirt with the Magic Council's symbol on it underneath, a black belt with a gold buckle around his waist, white pants and white shoes.

The four members of Fairy Tail shouted a name upon seeing the familiar person standing next to Nolan in the photo.

"LAHAR?!"

* * *

After finishing their shopping at the marketplace, everyone including Nolan head to Hargeon Park where there are people strolling through the area, relaxing and not having a care for the world. Nolan and Erza sat together on a wooden bench while Darren, Sheena and the members of Team Natsu stood in front of them. Yuri and the members of Brave Vesperia stood behind them and the bench.

"It's true that Lahar was my older brother, and also my main inspiration in joining the Rune Knights." Nolan said to everyone around him.

"Was?" Darren asked in confusion.

"Lahar died during an attack on the Magic Council Headquarters by a dark guild known as Tartaros two years ago." Lucy explained to him. Darren nods his head before he and Lucy look back at Nolan.

"Lahar first joined the Rune Knights eleven years ago, and I was only eight back then. I was amazed that he would quickly rise to the rank of Captain within just a single year. But I'm not surprised either because he was always better than me, just like an elder brother who is ten years older than me would. Because of his job and sworn duty to protect the people of Fiore, Lahar and I rarely see each other afterwards, but he would still pay visits to me and my parents at least a single weekend every month. And for nine years straight, every time he finished staying with us and get ready to return to work, I will always tell him before he steps out of our home that one day, I'm going to become a Rune Knight as well, work alongside him and even achieve the same rank of Captain. But my dream of working with him went unfulfilled, as two years ago…" Nolan paused and lowers his head. "It happened."

"Tartaros' attack on the Magic Council Headquarters." Yuri said grimly.

Nolan nods his head. "After the attack, my parents and I were informed by the Rune Knights to travel to Era to identify Lahar's body. We went there…and we saw the dead body of my older brother. We were all devastated that we have lost a relative that day, and I lost the person whom I looked up to. I would finally join the Rune Knights when I reach the age of 18, a year after his death. And just like Lahar, I achieved the rank of Captain within a year and even form a squad of my own. And yet…" Nolan lifts his head up, stroking back his hair as he looks up at the clouds in the sky. "I felt so melancholy…knowing that my brother wasn't alive to see how far I've come."

"We and Lahar honestly didn't see eye to eye when he was alive. But you still have our condolences over the loss of your relative." Erza said to Nolan solemnly.

"Thank you." Nolan said as he turns to Erza with a wan smile. "And don't worry," He winks an eye at her. "Unlike my brother, I have no ill-will towards the number 1 guild in Fiore."

"There you are, Captain. We have been looking all over for you." A feminine voice said. Everyone look up or turn around to see two figures approaching towards them. One of them is a girl with blonde hair, tied to two short pigtails and wears a white officer hat, a similar long-sleeved red uniform, tan skirt, white stockings and black boots. She also has two white straps over her body, but unlike Nolan, there is only a single gold badge pinned on her left strap and she only wears one black glove on her right hand.

The other is a tall dark-skinned man with large messy black hair and wears a similar red uniform, white gloves, red pants and black boots as Nolan. But like the woman beside him, there is only one gold badge pinned on his left strap and unlike her and Nolan, his uniform is unbuttoned, revealing a light gray collar shirt underneath it.

"Don't mean to speak out of my mind but as a superior officer, you still know how to slack off from your patrolling duties and hang out with civilians." The dark-skinned man said with a lopsided smirk.

Nolan chuckled as he gets up from the bench while Darren, Sheena and Team Natsu step out of his way. "Well, even I have to relax once in a while, right Lucas?" He responded as he walks over to his fellow soldiers. After placing himself in front of his men, Nolan turns around to the others still gathered around the bench. "Everyone, these are my fellow squad members. They are lieutenants Tryo Eriksson and Lucas Nova."

"Nice to meet you two." Lucy greeted and smiled warmly at the two. But her smile faded when Tryo flinched upon seeing her and Team Natsu.

"Captain, the boy with pink hair is Natsu Dragneel, isn't he?!" Tryo asked Nolan furiously.

"Yes he is." Nolan replied.

"The same mage who brought destruction upon Domus Flau and the Mercurius Palace at Crocus a year ago, right?!" Tryo barked.

The members of Team Natsu cringed while Nolan chuckled nervously as he scratches the back of his head. "Yup, that's him."

Tryo jabs a finger accusingly at Natsu as she yelled, "Listen to me, Natsu Dragneel! You may be pardoned by King Fiore for the crimes you committed back then, but that doesn't mean the Rune Knights will ever forget what you did!"

Natsu snorted and rolls his eyes. "Seriously? You guys are still harping on that?"

"Natsu!" Lucy chided him.

"What?" Natsu asked her in annoyance.

"Anyways…" Nolan interrupted as he turns back to his teammates. "Tryo, Lucas, is there anything you want to report to me?"

"Yes sir." Lucas said as he and Tryo stood up straight. "Tryo and I found a large patch of land at the outskirts of Hargeon, completely burnt and decimated of any plant life."

"All of the grass, bushes and even the trees that were grown in the area were eradicated into nothing but ash and dirt. But the fire didn't spread to the rest of the field. The burning just stopped around the radius. What do you think caused this? A blast of fire magic from a mage?" Tryo asked Nolan.

"Perhaps, but there's only one way to know for sure. Take me to the site where you found this." Nolan said to Tryo and Lucas.

"Yes Captain!" The two said in unison.

"Can we come along?" Erza asked Nolan and his team as she, Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Wendy, Happy and Carla approach them.

"Huh?! After what you guys did at Crocus, no way!" Tryo yelled at her.

"But what if this turns out into something that just the three can't handle on your own?" Lucy asked.

"Right. In case that happens, you will need all the help you can get." Wendy added.

Tryo tries to speak up but Nolan holds his hand up in front of her face. As Tryo looks at her superior in confusion, Nolan said to Team Natsu, "If my brother was here, no. But since I'm not him…" His lips curved into a small smile. "Yes, you all may join us."

"Mind if we come along?" Darren asked as he and Sheena walks up to Team Natsu and the Faction.

"Yeah, I don't want to stay behind and miss out on the action like back in Halure." Sheena said as she places her hands at the back of her head.

"Sure. We may need your help, Sheena. But are you really sure you want to come along with us, Darren?" Natsu asked.

"If I want to protect my friends, I must have the courage to fight alongside them too." Darren replied.

Erza smiled at Darren and nods her head. "Very well then. You can come with us, Darren."

"Thanks guys." Darren said.

"Sir, one of us would have to stay behind to look after the town." Lucas said to Nolan.

"Yuri, Judith, Estelle and I will stay here and guard the town while you guys are gone." Karol said. Yuri, Judith and Estelle nod their heads as they stand behind Karol while Alicia walks over to the others.

"Karol ordered me to come along with you so that you guys can find your way back to Hargeon." Alicia said to Darren, Sheena and Team Natsu.

"Alright. Thanks." Erza said to Alicia, Yuri and Brave Vesperia.

"Thank you, Lieutenant Lowell." Nolan said to Yuri as the two solemnly nod to each other. Nolan turns back to Tryo and Lucas and commanded, "Alright! Move out!"

* * *

Everyone walk through the outskirts of Hargeon at night as Nolan, Lucas and Tryo all hold up their lanterns which they summon when they first departed the town. They walked for fifteen minutes before arriving at the large and wide circular area in the grassy field that was decimated. Darren, Alicia, Sheena and Team Natsu stare at it in awe before they and the Faction slowly walk their way over to the center of it. The entire area has been blackened and not a single leaf or piece of grass can be seen in it.

"As you can see, the area is completely cleared of any plant life." Tryo said before pointing her finger at the grass and lush greenery still growing outside the boundaries of the circle. "And yet if it was caused by flames, it didn't spread to the rest of the field."

When they arrived at the center of the circular area, Alicia kneels down and places her hand on the barren ground.

"Need more light?" Lucas asked as he walks over to Alicia and places his lantern down on the ground beside her.

"Thanks." Alicia responded. She turns her head to the side and notices that the depth of the center of the area is slightly lower than the rest of it. She cups her chin as she continues examining the ground.

"What is it, Alicia?" Darren asked as everyone gathered around her.

"Notice that the center of the area is slightly lower than the rest of it." Alicia said.

"Yeah, you're right. The center of the area is curved like a saucer too." Lucy said, looking down at the ground where Alicia is kneeling on top of.

"Now notice that the surface molecular deformations are curved." Alicia said as she points her finger at the ground below her feet. Nolan kneels down and could barely see several curved lines along the area where Alicia is pointing at.

"I see it. But what could this mean?" Nolan said.

"If it's a blast like Tryo suggested, perhaps the center of this circular area was hit by something." Alicia said.

"Like a bomb or someone punching and landing on the ground?" Natsu implied.

Alicia looks up at Natsu. "Exactly." Everyone gasped. Alicia looks back at the ground and examines the curved lines. "Something must have landed here, then curve around to create such lines."

"Like the blast was going around like a spiral." Darren said, widening his eyes.

"Correct. Then while the center of the blast remains in the middle, its waves kept spiraling round and round until it stops at the boundaries of the area that is demarcated." Alicia lifts her head up again. Everyone turn to the direction where Alicia is staring and sees the greenery growing along the boundaries of the decimated area again.

"So something did drop down here and destroyed this area." Wendy said as Alicia stood up. "But what could it be?"

Natsu looks up and drops his jaw for a moment. "Could it be that?" He said as he points his finger up at the sky.

Everyone looks up and stares in awe when they noticed a small bright object flying across the sky. They slowly turn their heads as they watch the object descends to the ground below. A few moments later, they hear an explosion. Everyone yelp and cover their eyes as they could feel the strong winds caused by the explosion blowing through their hair and clothes.

When the wind died down, Nolan swiftly turns and points his finger at the direction where the object flew from earlier. "Come on! We got to pinpoint where that thing came from!" He said as Lucas picks up his lantern.

Darren, Alicia, Lucas, Tryo and Team Natsu nod to each other before they and Nolan run off.

As Sheena stood within the distance the whole time, she watches Darren, Alicia and Team Natsu running off together with her arms folded and a frown on her face. When Darren noticed that Sheena isn't with them, he stops and whirled about.

"Sheena? Are you coming with us?" He asked as he stares at her questioningly.

"Right, I'm coming!" Sheena replied before running after them.

* * *

Everyone soon reached the edge of a hill and they widen their eyes when they realize what is below them in the distance.

On a large grassy field were several rows of praetors, standing alongside together as they are armed with spears, swords and crossbows. Placed behind the praetors is a large and blocky silver tank that has a long, cylinder-shaped black cannon mounted at the upper section of the vehicle. There is also a smaller black turret installed on each side of the tank's upper section. The vehicle has no wheels and treads at the bottom but rather, it is levitating in the air by only a few inches above the ground.

"Get rid of our lights!" Nolan ordered Lucas and Tryo before making their lanterns disappear.

Lucas magically summons his binoculars with his other hand and uses it to take a closer look at the tank. He kneels down and activates the binoculars' night vision to see through the dark. He could see the hatch of the tank opening up. A praetor comes out from the tank, turns to his left and gave a thumbs-up. Lucas looked down to see who the praetor is signaling to and he noticed three figures standing beside the tank.

The first figure is a regular praetor holding up a lantern. The second figure is Velvet and the third is a blonde-haired man with blue eyes and dressed in a gray praetor uniform. Velvet and the man are each holding a pair of binoculars in their hand and they turn to each other. As the two begin speaking to each other, Lucas lowers his binoculars and turns to Nolan.

"I spotted two higher rank praetors standing beside that thing, sir. Looks like they are having a nice chat right now." Lucas said to his superior.

"If only we have someone to go over there and spy on them." Nolan said.

"Gate of Maiden, I open thee! Virgo!" Lucy chanted as she swings down one of her celestial keys. Virgo magically appears in front of them and Nolan, Lucas and Tryo stare at the Celestial spirit in awe.

Virgo kneels down on the ground on a single knee and bows before Lucy. "What is it, mistress?" She asked before looking up at her.

"I need you to go over there and stealthily listen to the two praetors who are standing beside that large vehicle." Lucy said, pointing her finger at Velvet and the man in the distance. Virgo turns around and glances at the two figures before abruptly drilling herself into the ground below her feet.

Virgo swiftly travels through underground as she makes her way over to the tank and the higher ranked praetors. When she dug herself out of the ground twenty seconds later, Virgo finds herself several meters behind the tank and the three praetors. With only her head popped out from the ground, Virgo attentively listened to the conversation between Velvet and the man.

"You can clearly see that not a single piece of grass was left on the ground when the rocket landed on its designated area. This shows that the spiral of fire it created upon its landing is so devastating, I guarantee that an entire village would turn into nothing more than a barren wasteland within seconds." The man explained to Velvet with a smug grin.

"True, Second Lieutenant Azrael. But now it's time for us to see how truly effective this vehicle is on people." Velvet said.

"Oh don't worry, Lieutenant. We'll find out soon enough when we commence our invasion of Hargeon. And with this vehicle that I de-" Azrael cuts himself off when Velvet gave him a scowl. The man chuckled nervously upon realizing his mistake. " _We_ …designed; I believe our invasion will only take five minutes or less to force the town's inhabitants to get down on their knees and surrender."

"And if our attack on Hargeon is successful," Velvet narrows her eyes as she clenches her fist. "Magnolia will be next."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter revised on 26th June 2019


	11. Operation Halo, Part 2

Immediately after Virgo returns back to the others, she informs them about the praetors' plans to invade Hargeon and Magnolia. The mentioning of their hometown instantly shock Team Natsu.

"The Abbey is planning to destroy our headquarters so that with our guild out of the way, they can invade the rest of Fiore!" Wendy cried in horror.

Natsu snarls as he clenches his fists. He is instantly reminded of all of his friends residing in Magnolia and Fairy Tail headquarters, and the thought of them being attacked and captured by the hands of the Abbey enraged him. "We can't let that happen!" He said furiously as huge flames ignite around his fists.

"I say we get down there and deal with them right now." Tryo suggested to Nolan.

"Right." Nolan replied to his lieutenant before turning to Team Natsu. "Fairy Tail, let's go down there-"

"ABOVE US!" Sheena suddenly yelled in alarm as she looks up and draws out her papers.

Everyone yelp as they look up and see Velvet above them with her left arm in its demonic form. As she plummets through the air and head towards everyone, Velvet lets out a yell of fury as she pulls back her left demonic fist. Sheena throws three papers at her and swiftly made several finger gestures. The papers briefly illuminate before they explode into thick layers of smoke, blinding Velvet's vision and causing her to cough.

As Team Natsu, the Faction, Darren, Alicia and Sheena get out of the way, Velvet ended up rolling over as she lands on the ground. She growls as she got up and turned around.

"Fairy Tail, we meet again." Velvet said icily.

"How did you find us?" Natsu asked as he, Gray and Wendy quickly place themselves in front of Erza, Lucy, Virgo, Darren, Alicia and Sheena get into their fighting stances. Meanwhile, Erza magically dresses up into her Robe of Yuen and her sword transforms into a bisento.

"I could sense your friend spying on me and my second lieutenant, and I followed her here." Velvet replied.

"I'm so sorry, everyone." Virgo said regretfully.

"It's alright, Virgo." Lucy replied to her Celestial spirit with a wan smile as she places her hand on her shoulder.

"Guys! The Abbey and the tank are starting to move!" Happy cried as he and Carla watched the praetors and the tank beginning their journey to Hargeon from the edge of the cliff. Team Natsu, the Faction, Darren, Alicia and Sheena momentarily turn their heads to the advancing army and gasp in response.

"That's right. I've ordered them to commence the invasion right before I make my way here." Velvet said as her enemies turn back to her.

Nolan growls as Lucas asked his superior, "Captain, what do we do now?!"

"The people of Hargeon are in danger. We have to warn the mayor! Tell him to evacuate the townspeople!" Nolan yelled as he turned to Lucas.

"Happy, Carla, help Lucas get to Hargeon before the Abbey does." Erza ordered the exceeds.

"Aye!" Happy and Carla said in unison as they spread out their wings. They quickly fly up in the air and wrap their tails around Lucas' arms.

"Hang on!" Carla said to him. Lucas yelp as the exceeds lift him up in the air and fly their way to Hargeon.

Alicia gasps when she noticed something shining from the trees beside her and the others. She turns her head and throws her yo-yo at someone kneeling on the branch of a tree. She and the others could hear a grunt before a praetor, holding a bow and arrow in his hands, falls off from the branch and lands on the ground with a thud.

"Dammit!" Velvet yelled before looking up at Lucas and the exceeds who are still making their escape. She leaps into the air and tries to swing her demonic claw at Happy and Carla. But Natsu quickly jumps up, places himself between her and the exceeds and swings his flaming fist at Velvet's claw, blocking her attack. The two stayed in a stalemate as they push their fists against each other.

"You'll have to go through us first!" Natsu yelled at her. He lifts his leg up and successfully kicks Velvet at her midsection with his sandal.

As Velvet falls through the air, she did a backwards somersault and lands at the ground on her hands. She leaps herself up into the air once more before doing another backwards somersault and lands on her feet.

As Nolan and Tryo stood side by side, they hold out their hands and summon their weapons. Nolan magically summons his scimitars and swings them diagonally before getting into his battle stance. Tryo on the other hand summons a chained jade ball. She grabs the hilt of her weapon with her gloved hand and the chain with her other hand. She twirls the chain and ball continuously through the air as she gets into her fighting stance.

"I guess it doesn't matter. Even if your friends manage to warn the mayor in time, our weapon will still turn Hargeon and its people into nothing more than ashes. And soon after, we will produce more of them and finally invade the entire north of Fiore!" Velvet proclaimed.

Infuriated by her comments, Natsu, Gray, Wendy, Erza, Nolan and Tryo yell in fury as they charge towards Velvet. But after only taking a few steps, several arrows flew down from the treetops and head towards them.

"GUYS!" Alicia shouted as she runs up to the six from behind. She slides through the ground and passes through them. When she is in front of them, Alicia gets up into a kneeling position and swings her yo-yos around in huge circles and in incredible speed. The strong winds created from her yo-yos causes the arrows to scatter and drop across the ground.

After putting away their crossbows and draw out their swords, twelve praetors, with one of them being the squad leader, jump out from the branches of the trees where they were hiding and fall over to Team Natsu, the Faction, Virgo and Alicia. The praetors land in front of them and both sides clashed against each other.

As Darren and Sheena join the battle, two more praetors come out from behind two nearby trees and charge towards them with halberds.

One praetor thrust the tip of her halberd at Sheena, who quickly jumps out of the way. The other praetor swings his halberd horizontally at Darren, who blocks his attack with his katana and the two stayed in a stalemate as they push their weapons against each other, trying to overwhelm the other.

Erza manages to push back the praetor in front of her with all of her strength. She jumps in the air and delivers a horizontal kick across the praetor's head, sending him falling to the ground. As Erza lands back on the ground, another praetor runs up to her from behind. He swings his sword down at her but Erza dodges the strike by rolling to the side. As she gets up, she turns around and swings her bisento diagonally at the praetor, knocking the sword out of his hand. As the praetor holds up his hands and backs away, Erza proceeds to deliver an uppercut at the bottom of his chin, sending him stumbling backwards and collapsing onto the ground unconsciousness.

"FAIRY TAIL!" Velvet bellowed as she charges up to Erza. Erza swiftly turns around and holds up her bisento in time to block Velvet's claw. Velvet proceeds to deliver a series of diagonal and vertical strikes with her demonic claw which Erza manages to block them all with her bisento.

Velvet yells again as she delivers an overhead strike at Erza with her claw. Erza holds up her bisento to block her claw and Velvet grabs onto her weapon. The two stayed at a stalemate and stare into each other's eyes as Velvet struggles to use all of her strength to pull the bisento out of Erza's grip while the other held firmly onto her weapon.

"Tell me! Why do you despise us so much?!" Erza inquired.

"Isn't it obvious?! You Fairy Tail scumbags slaughtered everyone in my village, including my beloved brother!" Velvet howled.

"What?! When?!" Erza asked in alarm and confusion as her eyes widened in horror.

"On the Scarlet Night!" Velvet replied.

"The Scarlet Night? What is that?" Erza asked, sounding more puzzled than before as she frowns.

"How dare you insult me and everyone I knew further by playing dumb?! I'll make you and everyone in your guild pay!" Velvet roared.

In the end, Velvet manages to pull the bisento out of Erza's hands. As Erza stumbles backward, Velvet takes the opportunity to deliver a massive kick to her chest, sending her sprawling through the ground.

Afterwards, Tryo throws her jade ball at Velvet. Velvet tosses Erza's bisento aside and quickly catches Tryo's ball with her claw. Velvet swings her demonic arm up, sending Tryo flying into the air while still clinging onto the hilt. She swings her arm back down, causing Tryo to finally lose her grip on the hilt of her weapon. Fortunately for Tryo, Natsu leaps into the air and catches her in his arms. After Natsu lands on the ground safely with Tryo, Velvet turns to the dragon slayer and throws the jade ball at his back.

Nolan quickly runs over and places himself between Velvet and Natsu. He swings his scimitars to deflect the ball and sends it to the side as Natsu turns around and places Tryo down. Nolan swiftly charges up to Velvet and swings his scimitars diagonally at her which she blocks them with her claw.

Meanwhile, the praetor continuously thrusts his halberd at Darren, who dodges them by moving side to side. The praetor eventually delivers a diagonal swing of his halberd, aiming for the side of Darren's head. Darren swings his katana diagonally as well to deflect the halberd. As the praetor stumbles back by the impact of the blow, Darren proceeds to run up to the praetor and hits his abdomen with the bottom of the hilt of his katana.

As the praetor bends over and gasps, Darren brings up his leg and hits the bottom of his chin with his kneepad. As the praetor stood up, Darren finishes the fight by swinging his left fist across the side of the helmet, sending him falling to the ground and dropping his halberd. Darren quickly kicks the halberd aside and aims the tip of his katana at the fallen praetor's face, causing him to tremble in horror.

Darren gazes at the fallen opponent for a few moments and despite wearing a helmet, he could see the fear dwelling within the praetor as he looks up at him. Darren turns his head away and lowers his katana. The praetor takes the opportunity to turn around, get up and flee for his life.

Afterwards, Darren looks up and sees a praetor sent flying through the air and slamming against the trunk of a nearby tree. As the defeated praetor slumps to the ground, Darren turns his head to see Sheena lowering her leg.

"Come on! Let's help the others!" Sheena yelled at Darren. Darren nods his head and the two run over to Team Natsu and Alicia.

Gray swings his ice sword horizontally and sends two praetors flying through the air as his weapon clash against their swords.

Natsu took out two other praetors with his Fire Dragon's Claw attack. One praetor runs up to Natsu from behind and swings his sword vertically downwards at him. Natsu quickly moves to the side and grabs the praetor by his helmet. He runs up to the nearest tree and slams the praetor's face right into the trunk.

As the leader of this squad of praetors swings his sword horizontally at her, Wendy jumps back and up into the air to the dodge the attack. As she falls, she unleashes her Sky Dragon's Crushing Fang down at the squad leader. The squad leader holds up his sword to block Wendy's attack but the blow manages to send him sliding back.

As Wendy lands back on the ground, another praetor stood behind her and fires an arrow at her back with his crossbow. Darren swiftly places himself between Wendy and the praetor and deflects the arrow with his katana. Sheena runs over to the praetor who tried to reload his crossbow. Before he could place an arrow on his crossbow, Sheena reaches him and grabs his right wrist. She gave his arm a twist, causing him to yell in pain and drop his weapon. Sheena uses her left hand to jab the right side of the praetor's neck, causing him to lose consciousness. She releases his wrist and lets the praetor collapse onto the ground.

Meanwhile, Darren and the squad leader clash their swords against each other and stayed in a stalemate for a brief moment. The squad leader manages to push Darren back and swings his sword horizontally at him. Darren ducks down to dodge the attack and slides his leg across the ground as he turns around, sweeping the squad leader off from the ground. As the squad leader falls onto his back, Wendy jumps into the air from behind Darren and did a somersault.

"Sky Dragon's Claw!" She yelled as she swings her leg down and fires a large gust of wind at the squad leader. The squad leader howled as he gets hit by her attack and his head slumps to the side as he passes out. After Wendy lands back on the ground, she and Darren turn to each other and smile.

Alicia kneels down and swings her yo-yos at two praetors, with its strings wrapped around their legs. She gave her yo-yos a yank, causing the praetors to fall onto the ground and drop their swords. Virgo quickly swings her chains at the fallen praetors and knocks them out unconscious as they collide against the front of their helmets. Meanwhile, Lucy wraps her whip around another praetor and pulls her over.

"Virgo, Alicia!" Lucy cried as she moves to the side and releases the praetor as she stumbles over to Virgo and Alicia. Virgo swings one of her chains at the praetor and it knocks against the front of her helmet. As the praetor stumbles back, Alicia runs up to her and delivers a flying kick to her chest. The praetor backs away from Alicia and when Lucy runs up to her from behind, she swings her fist at her back, knocking her to the ground.

"Nice work, Lucy!" Alicia smiled as she walks over to Lucy while holding up her hand. She expected a high-five from her friend. But instead, Lucy grabs her right hand and groans in pain as she felt the pain surging through it which she received after delivering the punch.

"Ow! That hurts." Lucy said. Alicia sighs as she lowers her hand.

Meanwhile, Erza delivers a few diagonal swings with her bisento at Velvet, who evades them by moving side to side. Erza then swings her bisento horizontally at her and Velvet dodges the attack by ducking down. She swiftly draws out her blade from her right gauntlet, delivers a horizontal swing and successfully slashes across the midsection of Erza's robe. Erza cringed as she backs away.

Velvet turns her head to the left and sees Nolan running up to her. As he swings his left scimitar at her, Velvet quickly gets up, turns to Nolan and blocks his sword with her claw. She proceeds to swing her blade at Nolan, who blocks it with his other scimitar.

Erza runs up to Velvet again and tries to swing her bisento at her. But Velvet quickly deflects Nolan's scimitars, jumps in the air and performs somersault over Erza. Erza turns around as Velvet lands back on the ground.

Velvet sprung up from the ground and charges at Erza, but Alicia swings her yo-yos at her from behind. The strings wrap around her body and Velvet groans as Alicia yanks back her yo-yos, stopping her charge. Alicia growls as she uses all of her strength to pull Velvet back, but the praetor snarls as she manages to take a few steps forward and slowly drags the blonde-haired girl with her.

"NOW!" Alicia yelled as she turns her head around. Natsu and Wendy run up to her sides and enlarge their cheeks as they throw their heads back.

"FIRE/SKY DRAGON'S ROAR!" Natsu and Wendy yelled in unison before firing huge blasts of fire and wind out of their mouths at Velvet as they bend forward. Erza and Nolan quickly got out of the way.

Velvet yells angrily as she successfully bends over, causing the strings around her body to snap and Alicia falls to the ground as she releases her yo-yos. Shortly after setting herself free, Velvet turns around and holds her demonic claw in front of her face to block the combined blast from Natsu and Wendy. When the blast dies down, Velvet lowers her claw.

"You seriously think a blast like that will-" Velvet is soon interrupted by Gray's yell as he slams his hands on the ground.

"ICE-MAKE: PRISON!"

Velvet gasped as a huge light blue circle forms beneath her feet. She turns to her right and tries to run off but Erza quickly goes over and stood in front of her. She swings the other end of her bisento diagonally at her, successfully hitting the bottom of Velvet's chin and sending her stumbling back into the center of the circle as a rectangular-shaped cage made of ice began forming around and over her.

After the cage is formed, Velvet screams as she runs over to the bars and swings her claw at them. But the impact of her attack sends her stumbling backwards instead and the bars of the cage remain intact. Velvet growled as everyone approach and surrounds her newly formed makeshift prison.

As Velvet looks up at Erza, who stares boldly at her, she runs up to her and snarls at her face as she stood behind the bars and wraps her claw and hand around them.

"What are you going to do now? Execute me? Just like what you did to my brother Laphicet?!" Velvet asked, raising her voice as she mentions her brother's name.

"No, we won't." Erza shook her head. "Instead, we want to know what this Scarlet Night you were talking about is."

"And who is leading the Abbey? Why are you helping them? And what is the Abbey trying to accomplish in conquering all of Fiore?" Nolan inquired as he and Tryo walk over and stood beside Erza.

"We want answers!" Tryo added.

"You should know damn well what the Scarlet Night is, Fairy Tail! You were the guys who conducted it!" Velvet roared at Erza.

"What are you talking about?" Lucy cried as she and the other members of Team Natsu look back at her dumbfounded. "We don't even know such an incident happened!"

"Liars!" Velvet snapped at Lucy with her eyes wide and shaking. "How dare you mock the people you slaughtered by denying what you did?! General Dreyar is right! Every member of Fairy Tail are monsters!"

Erza, Natsu, Gray, Lucy and Wendy gasp upon hearing the name of Velvet's superior.

"Did he say Dreyar?!" Gray cried incredulously.

"As in the same last name as Makarov and Laxus?" Wendy said in shock.

"No! It can't be Gramps or Laxus! That's impossible!" Natsu yelled as he stomps his foot and holds up his fist.

"Unless…" Erza narrows her eyes for a moment before a past memory came flooding back inside her head.

She remembered the Grand Magic Games which her guild participated 2 years ago. She vividly remembers Laxus walking his way out of the arena after winning his fight for their guild while his opponent, a man dressed in gold armor and a black fur cape, and has black hair and beard, smiling back at his  _son_  evilly as he sat against the wall in defeat.

Erza's eyes widened when she finally realized whom Velvet is referring to.

"Could it be Ivan Dreyar?!" Erza cried. The members of Team Natsu gasped.

"Ivan?! Laxus's shitty father and the leader of Raven Tail?!" Natsu yelled in shock.

"The one Laxus fought with at the Grand Magic Games?" Lucy asked.

"He has returned." Wendy uttered.

"How?!" Velvet yelled at Erza. "How do you know the first name of our general?!"

"So I was right." Erza said before she calmly approaches her and the cage. "Velvet, listen to me. I think you have been lied to."

"Shut up!" Velvet shouted back as she slams her demonic fist against the bar. "I will not fall for your deception!"

"Velvet, please!" Erza tries to reason with her. "You have to trust-"

Suddenly, Sheena gasped when she felt a strange presence among them. She turns her right and immediately spots a praetor kneeling on a branch of a nearby tree, armed with oversized iron gauntlets. As soon as the praetor leaps off from the branch and head towards them, Sheena shouted in horror, "LOOK OUT!"

Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Wendy, Darren, Alicia and Virgo turn to their right and gasped as the praetor yells and pulls his right fist back. A huge orb of orange energy formed at the knuckles of his right gauntlet, preparing to deliver a powerful attack upon them.

Tryo swiftly swings her jade ball horizontally at the praetor and successfully hits him at his midsection. The praetor yells in agony as the ball sends him to side of Velvet's makeshift prison instead. It was then the orb of energy detonates, creating a powerful explosion that breaks the side of the cage. The ground trembles as Velvet's makeshift prison begins to break and crumble.

"Get back!" Nolan shouted as everyone turn around and run away from the collapsing cage.

Velvet could only look up in shock as the top of her makeshift prison falls upon her. Huge thick clouds of icy breeze were formed by the collapse. Everyone throw themselves onto the ground and place their hands on the back of their hands as the thick breeze blows through them.

When the breeze is cleared a few moments later, everyone gets up and Erza asked, "Is everyone okay?"

"Yeah, we're good." Darren replied. Natsu groans and rubs the back of his head as he, Darren and everyone else get up to their feet.

"Guys! Look!" Lucy cried as she stares back at the icy cage that is now in ruins. Everyone look at the debris and notice the unconscious praetor lying on top of them.

"Where's Velvet?" Nolan asked.

After Natsu carries the praetor out of the way, Gray holds up his hand and the icy debris magically disappear. But Velvet was nowhere in sight.

"Dammit. She must have gotten away after the collapse." Erza said frowning.

"And it looks like she didn't leave behind any tracks too." Nolan said as he observes the ground.

"This is my fault." Tryo lowers her head in shame. "I was the one who destroyed the cage and let our prisoner escape."

Erza places her hand on Tryo's shoulder and said to her, "Don't apologize. At least you saved my friends from an attack we never expected. You have my thanks for that."

Alicia picks up the shells of her yo-yos from the ground. Darren walks over to her from behind and said apologetically, "I'm sorry about your yo-yos."

"Nah, it's okay." Alicia smiled as she shrugged. Darren watches her as Alicia opens her pouch bag and takes out a roll of thread to replace the strings that had been snapped. "This is why you should always keep spare objects in your pouch."

"Huh." Darren simply said. "That's good."

"What are we going to do now?" Wendy asked everyone.

"I guess there's nothing else we can do here, but to return to Hargeon." Gray said.

"Right!" Natsu narrows his eyes while still carrying the unconscious praetor in his arms. "We have to stop the invasion!"


	12. Operation Halo, Part 3

After the army of praetors position themselves a hundred miles away from the boundaries of Hargeon, Muruta Azrael comes out from the hatch of the tank and places his binoculars in front of his eyes. He took a closer look at the town's train station and noticed the civilians panicking as they desperately try to get inside the train while carrying their bags and luggage.

"So the civilians are trying to escape, huh?" Azrael chuckled as he lowers his binoculars. "No matter. This pitiful town will not be able to evacuate every single one of them before we launch our attack." A smug grin appears on his face as he places his hand on his chest. "And once this pathetic town falls, I will surely be promoted!" Azrael lowers himself back inside the tank and orders the driver and operator. "Aim for the center of the town!"

They obeyed and the operator slowly turns the top section of the tank. He keeps adjusting until the operator spots the town hall building through its scope. In front of the building is the town square where several civilians are still hurriedly making their way to the train station. After the tank's top section came to a halt, the operator raises the main cannon and aims at the building.

"Fire!" Azrael ordered with an evil grin. The tank launches a rocket into the air and Azrael and the praetors watch it fly towards the town hall.

Back in Hargeon, the townspeople who are still in the town square look up and scream in horror when they see the rocket flying through the air and making its way towards their position. They all panicked as they frantically run and try to get out of the line of fire in an uncontrollable stampede.

A woman stops running and turns around when she realized she isn't holding onto her child's hand. She looks up and widens her eyes in horror when she spots her son standing in the distance.

"Come on! We have to go!" The woman cried to the boy as she runs over to him.

"But mom! Who's that?" The boy asked his mother as he stood where he is and points his finger at a certain purple-haired woman standing in the distance with her spear in her hand.

The boy and his mother watch as Judith holds up the spear in front of her face and chanted with her eyes closed, "You, who would afflict me…" Her eyes snapped open as she turns to the side, holds her spear up with one hand and aims its tip at the incoming rocket. "To the realm of the dead!" Some of the townspeople stop and stare at Judith in awe as her spear illuminates in bright cerulean light. "In a moonlit casket!" The spear now magically enlarges twice its original size. "DRAGON'S MOON SPEAR!"

As she throws herself forward, Judith hurls her spear into the air and it flies towards the rocket. The spear pierces through the rocket and it explodes in air. The townspeople gaze at the explosion in awe.

Back at the outskirts of town, Azrael drops his jaw in shock when he sees that the rocket has been intercepted.

"W-w-what happened?!" Azrael cried. "How does this small town have any sort of defense? Could it be the Rune Knights?!"

Azrael picks up his binoculars and looks at the town square. He spotted Judith who catches her spear as it flies back to her. He also sees Lucas, Yuri, Estelle and Karol walking over to her side. He snarls as he lowers his binoculars. "Who are these jerks who dare interfere our invasion?!" He looks down at the praetors in front of him and commanded them, "Wave 1! Charge towards the town and wipe out everyone in your path!"

The first three front rows of praetors immediately obliged. The spearmen which make up the most upfront horizontal row lower their spears. The other two rows behind them which are made up of swordsmen draw out their swords from their scabbards.

"Attack!" Azrael ordered them as he points his finger at the town. The praetors let out their battle cry as they charge towards Hargeon.

"Keep moving everyone! They're still on their way!" Lucas yelled at the townspeople who are still standing around the town square.

As everyone turn and continue making their way to the train station, Yuri and Brave Vesperia get into their battle stances while Lucas holds up his hand and magically summons a double-bladed sword.

"Here they come." Karol said as he clings onto the hilt of his hammer.

"Your legs are shaking." Yuri commented as he holds up his sword in front of him.

"You're kidding." Karol replied with his voice trembling with fear.

"I am." Yuri deadpanned.

"Move out!" Lucas yelled before he, Yuri and Brave Vesperia charge towards the army of praetors. The five ran out of the boundaries of the town and they soon clash against the praetors.

Lucas turns around and swings his double-bladed sword horizontally, successfully knocking back four spearmen.

A spearman delivers several thrusts at Judith with his spear. Judith swiftly blocks all of his attacks with her spear before jumping in the air and did a twirling kick across the spearman's face.

Karol swings his hammer horizontally and manages to hit a swordsman by the side of his torso. As the swordsman falls to the ground, another praetor runs up to Karol and swings his sword horizontally at him. Karol squeals as he shuts his eyes. But a second later, he opens his eyes again and realizes that the praetor has dropped his sword and is now screaming in pain. Karol looks down and sees that his hammer has landed on his foot. He removes his weapon and the swordsman turns around and hops away as he clenches onto his injured foot in pain. As Judith kicks another praetor in her midsection, she is sent flying across the air and collides against the hopping praetor.

Karol grins as he points his fingers at the fallen praetors and proclaims, "That's what happens when you mess with the leader of Brave Vesperia!"

A spearman thrusts her spear at Estelle, who blocks it with her shield. Estelle swings her golden rod down at the spear and knocks it out from the spearman's hands. She thrusts her rod at the spearman's midsection and the praetor gasps as she bends over. Estelle finishes it off by swinging her rod vertically and hitting the back of the praetor's head, knocking her to the ground.

After kicking a spearman down to the ground, Yuri turns to Estelle and commented, "You're pretty good at fighting."

"Thanks. I did have a private instructor back in my office." Estelle responded. "Even a politician needs to learn self-defense, right?"

Yuri turns back to his front as a swordsman runs over to him. The swordsman delivers an overhead strike and Yuri quickly blocks his attack by holding up his sword. Yuri quickly removes one hand from the hilt of his sword and delivers a punch to the swordsman's midsection. As the swordsman backs away, Yuri swings his sword horizontally and upwards, firing two energy blasts at him. He finishes it off by thrusting his left palm forward and fires another powerful energy blast. "FRIGID BLAST!"

The final blast sends the praetor sprawling through the ground and colliding against another swordsman in the process.

Azrael watches in shock and horror as Lucas, Yuri, Judith, Estelle and Karol finished knocking down the entire first wave of praetors and they all lie down on field unconscious. Azrael grits his teeth and slams his fist on the tank.

"Stupid men!" Azrael yells in frustration before barking at the second and third waves of his army. "Waves 2 and 3, take them down!"

The praetors in the upfront row of the second wave kneel down and aim their crossbows at the five. When they fire their arrows at them, Lucas and Yuri quickly place themselves in front of Estelle, Judith and Karol.

When the arrows are near them, Lucas and Yuri swiftly swing their swords around to deflect them. After realizing that they have failed to shoot a single arrow at the five, the praetors put away their crossbows and stood up. Every praetor in the second and third wave draws out their swords and charges towards the five.

Two praetors run over to Lucas. The praetor on the left tries to swing his sword diagonally at him. Lucas holds up his sword to block his attack with the right blade of his sword. The praetor on the right delivers an overhead strike at him but Lucas tilts his weapon and blocks his sword with its left blade. The two praetors back away as Lucas twirls around in a circle while swinging his double-bladed sword horizontally. He lifts up his leg and successfully kicks the left praetor at the midsection, sending him falling to the ground.

The praetor on the right swings his sword diagonally at him but Lucas quickly blocks his attack with the left blade of his weapon. He swings his double-bladed sword diagonally at the praetor who quickly blocks the right blade with his sword. Lucas then takes the opportunity to hit the praetor in the face with the hilt of his weapon. As the praetor stumbles back, Lucas performs a backwards somersault and delivers a powerful kick at the bottom of his chin, causing him to fall onto the ground on his back with a thud.

As several praetors run past Lucas and Yuri, some of them clash their swords against Estelle, Judith and Karol while the others make their way to the town.

Judith thrusts her spear at one of the swordsman. He blocks her spear but the impact sends him sprawling through the ground. As he slides over to Yuri, he quickly brings his foot down on his face.

Estelle swings her rod across a praetor's face, sending him rolling over the ground. One praetor runs up to her and thrusts his sword at her. Estelle turns to him and swings her shield horizontally, deflecting the sword and knocking it out of his hand. She then swings her rod diagonally at his legs, sweeping him off from his feet. As the praetor lands on the ground, Estelle delivers an overhead strike on his face with her rod, knocking him out.

Meanwhile, Yuri swings his sword horizontally at a praetor and manages to knock his sword out of his hand. Afterwards, he swings his left fist into his abdomen, causing him to bend over. Yuri moves to the side and takes him down by knocking the back of his helmet with the bottom of the hilt of his sword.

One praetor manages to run up to Yuri and swings her sword diagonally at his back. Yuri yells in pain as the praetor slashes him.

"Yuri!" Estelle cried as she turns to him. As Estelle runs over to him, Yuri turns around to the praetor and knocks her across her face with the hilt of his sword, sending her falling to the ground. Yuri cringes as he bends over in pain.

"Hold still." Estelle said softly to him as she examines the slash on his back. She holds up her hand and magically heals his wound. A few seconds later, Yuri stood up when he could no longer feel the pain on his back.

Yuri turns around and smiles at Estelle. "Thanks." He said. Estelle nods her head in response before the two turn and clash their weapons against two sword-wielding praetors who run up to them.

After knocking down another praetor, Judith tries to catch her breath as she bends over in exhaustion. "There's too many of them." She said to Karol wearily.

Karol swings his hammer at the head of another praetor, knocking him out unconscious. As the praetor slumps to the ground, Karol turns around and watch helplessly as the praetors who run past them are nearing the town.

"These guys are about to reach town!" Karol cried in horror. "How are we going to catch up with them?!"

"Kill anyone who gets in your way!" A squad leader said to the other praetors as they are about to reach the boundaries of Hargeon. But as soon as they set foot into the town, they didn't expect a muscular black-haired man jumping off from the top of a small apartment building and landing right in front of them while holding a large cannon made of ice in his hand.

As he gets up, Gray aims his ice cannon at the praetors and shouted, "ICE CANNON!" He fires an ice cannonball from his weapon and the praetors cry in horror as it comes flying towards them.

When the breeze is cleared, Judith and Karol smile in relief as they could see Gray standing in the distance and smirking at them while the praetors lie on the ground motionless. A moment later, Happy and Carla flew past him while carrying Lucy and Virgo with their tails.

"The cavalry has arrived!" Happy proclaimed as he and Carla fly towards the ongoing battle at the outskirts of town.

"What the?!" Azrael cried incredulously as he sees his new enemies entering the battlefield. As some praetors stop and look up at the exceeds, Happy and Carla release Lucy and Virgo and the two girls plummet down towards them.

"Lucy!" Yuri and Estelle both said in delight as they look up at them.

"Are you ready, Virgo?" Lucy asked her Celestial spirit.

"Hai." Virgo simply replied. The two girls each aim a leg at a praetor while Yuri and Estelle watch them in curiosity.

"Lucy…" Lucy said.

"Virgo…" Virgo said. Yuri and Estelle widen their eyes with their mouths agape.

"KICK!" Lucy and Virgo both shouted when they both deliver a massive kick into the praetor's face. Yuri and Estelle silently watch Lucy and Virgo landing on the ground with scowls on their faces.

"Did they really call their attack…that?" Estelle murmured.

"How underwhelming." Yuri muttered. Lucy draws out her whip as she and Virgo look up at the praetors. The two girls yell as they charge towards them.

"Hey Happy ol' buddy!" Natsu shouted to the blue exceed in the air as he runs over to him while carrying the unconscious praetor over his shoulder. The gauntlets have since been removed from the praetor's hands, leaving only his brown gloves.

"Natsu!" Happy squealed happily as he sees his friend. He lowers down to his level as Natsu gets the unconscious praetor off of his shoulder.

"Here. Take this guy to safety for me, will ya?" Natsu asked, handing the praetor over to Happy.

"Aye!" Happy obliged as he wraps his tail around the praetor and flies away to safety. Natsu turns around and sees several praetors running over and surrounding him.

"So you guys want it the hard way, eh? Fine by me!" Natsu grins as he produces large streams of fires on his arms. He yells as he swings both arms horizontally and stomps his foot on the ground as he bends forward. "FIRE DRAGON'S WING ATTACK!"

The streams of fire on his arms fly towards the surrounding praetors like a ring of fire and send them flying into the air.

After knocking down another praetor, Lucas turns around and sees Nolan and Tryo running over to him.

"Boy, am I glad to see you guys!" Lucas cried happily.

"Good to know that you miss us." Tryo replied as she and Nolan stop beside him. The three soldiers turn to three praetors who are running over to them with their halberds.

"Come on guys. Let's take them down." Nolan ordered his friends.

"Right!" Lucas and Tryo responded in unison before the three soldiers charge towards them. Nolan swings his swords at the nearest praetor, knocking the halberd out of his hands. As the praetor backs away in fear, Nolan runs up to him and swings his leg across his face, knocking him down.

Two praetors swing their halberds down at Lucas who blocks them with both blades of his swords. As Lucas pushes them back, Tryo goes over to his side and swings her chained ball horizontally at the praetors, knocking both of them down.

"SKY DRAGON'S WAVE WIND!" Wendy shouted as she runs past five praetors and swings her hand horizontally. A huge tornado forms behind her, sending the five praetors flying helplessly into the air.

Erza, now dressed in her Morning Star Armor and armed with two one-handed swords, see three praetors running up to her. She brings her swords together lengthwise and aims the tips at the advancing praetors.

"MORNING STAR: PHOTON SLICER!" Erza yelled as an orb of energy formed at the tips of her swords. She fires a powerful energy blast at the praetors and it sends them flying into the air.

Sheena throws a piece of paper into the air and made several finger gestures. Several pieces of paper magically appear above the praetors and they illuminate in bright purple light. The papers exploded above them and the praetors yell in agony.

Azrael watches the ongoing battle with his jaw hanging in horror. He couldn't believe that his entire army of praetors is being defeated by the members of Fairy Tail and Brave Vesperia, as well as their allies.

After Natsu punches a praetor down, he looks at Azrael still standing there above the tank and gave him a cold glare. The second lieutenant squeals in terror as he quickly turns and gets out of the tank.

"I'm defenseless! Get me out of here!" Azrael shouted before jumping down from the top of the tank. After landing on the ground, Azrael tries to flee for his life. But he fails to notice two yo-yos flying over to his legs. As the strings wrap around them, Alicia pulls back her yo-yos, causing Azrael to cry as he falls onto the ground on his face. The second lieutenant moans in despair as he laid there. "There goes my promotion…"

Meanwhile, Natsu climbs onto the top of the tank. The operator comes out from the tank and holds up his hands as Natsu approaches him. Natsu momentarily grins at him before grabbing his head and knocks him against the side of the opening. The praetor passes out and Natsu throws him out of the tank. The Fire Dragon Slayer then goes inside the vehicle to deliver a great beating upon the driver.

As a praetor runs up to Darren, he swings his katana horizontally at him, knocking the sword out of his hand. He delivers an uppercut to the bottom of his chin, sending him stumbling backwards before falling onto the ground unconscious. Another praetor swings his halberd down at him but Darren moves to the side and swings his leg at his midsection. His kick sends the praetor stumbling backwards for a moment before Darren grabs his head and brings it down. He lifts his leg up and the praetor's face collided against his kneepad. As Darren releases the hand, the praetor falls onto the ground. Karol quickly runs over to him and brings his hammer down on his face to knock him out. The boy looks up at Darren and the two smile at each other.

"We did it! We took them all down!" Erza yelled after all the praetors have been defeated and are now lying around the field motionless.

Everybody who is still standing celebrate their victory against the Abbey. Gray, Happy and Carla cheer as they pump their fists into the air. Lucas grins as he wraps his arms around Nolan and Tryo, who both smile back at him. Judith and Wendy shook hands as they smile at each other.

"A sign of victory!" Yuri proclaimed as he holds up his hand in front of Estelle. Estelle stares at his hand questioningly for a moment before placing her fingertip on it. Yuri laughed in response.

"Great work, Virgo." Lucy said to her Celestial Spirit as she holds up her key.

"Thank you, Lucy-sama." Virgo replied as she bows down to her mistress. Lucy uses her key to dematerialize Virgo and sends her back to the Celestial Spirit World.

"I guess we can consider this another victory for Fairy Tail, eh?" Natsu asked Lucy as he walks over to her.

"Yup. Indeed." Lucy smiles at her friend as she places her hands behind her back.

"Alright! So let's celebrate by having something to eat! I've realized that we haven't eaten anything since coming to Hargeon!" Natsu exclaimed with a huge grin on his face.

Lucy lets out a heavy sigh. "Why do you always think about food, Natsu?"

"Hmm, you two like each other." Darren commented as he and Karol watch the two friends while standing nearby.

"Huh?!" Natsu and Lucy cried incredulously as they turn their heads to Darren and Karol.

"Yeah, I mean how calm and relaxed these two sound whenever they talk to each other, isn't it obvious?" Karol said to Darren as he shrugs his shoulders.

"W-What are you two talking about?!" Lucy cried.

Sheena looks around and observes everyone cheering and interacting with each other as they celebrate their victory against the Abbey. She sighs as she lowers her head, wondering why despite feeling glad that they have won the battle, she still felt a huge sense of emptiness inside her.

"Sheena!"

Sheena lifts her head up and turns to Alicia who walks over to her while pulling and dragging Azrael through the ground with her yo-yos. Alicia gave a warm smile to Sheena before extending her free hand out to her. "You really helped us a lot tonight. Thank you."

Sheena stares wordlessly at Alicia for a moment before grabbing her hand and giving her a wan smile. "You're welcome." She replied softly as they shook hands.

* * *

Life and peace have returned back to Hargeon by morning. The streets are once again filled with people walking around and attending to their daily duties.

Just outside the boundaries of the town, a Magic Council ship is parked on the field and has come to pick up Azrael and several captured praetors which the Faction round up from the aftermath of last night's battle. Nolan, Lucas, Tryo and three Rune Knights stood in a horizontal row as they watch the prisoners walk up the ramp and enter the ship with their wrists and ankles cuffed.

Meanwhile, Darren, Yuri, Sheena, Brave Vesperia and Team Natsu are standing nearby with the mayor of Hargeon.

"Thank you very much, Fairy Tail, for saving our beloved town from the Abbey. I knew we can count on you." The mayor said to the members of Team Natsu with a warm smile on his face.

"No problem, Mr. Mayor. But we honestly couldn't have done it without the help of Brave Vesperia and our other allies." Erza said, gesturing to Darren, Yuri, Sheena and Brave Vesperia who all stood behind them and smile at the mayor. Karol grins as he places his fists at the sides of his hip and stand proudly.

"You all have my thanks as well." The mayor turns and bows to them with gratitude. "Now then, I must return to my duties. Take care, everyone."

As the mayor turns around and leaves, Alicia turns to Darren and noticed that his cheeks are red. "You're blushing, aren't you?" She asked.

"Huh?" Darren turns his head to her. He chuckled sheepishly as he scratches the side of his head. "Yeah well…I never had someone thanking me for helping them in a bad situation in a long while."

"Well, you sure deserve it." Alicia said, grinning at Darren.

"Where are we heading, Jude?"

Darren, Yuri, Sheena, Team Natsu and Brave Vesperia turn around and see two unmasked praetors talking to each other as they approach the ramp. One of them is a girl with green eyes and short brown hair, covered by a white headband, while the other is a boy with amber eyes and neck-length black hair.

Darren, Alicia, Sheena and Team Natsu widen their eyes when they realize the black-haired boy is wearing a pair of light brown gloves. They instantly recognize him as the praetor who tried to attack them with the pair of oversized gauntlets.

"It's him." Natsu murmured.

"And that girl's voice. I recognize her." Estelle said, remembering the spearman whom she knocked out with her rod the other night.

"I don't know, Leia. And I have no idea what are they going to do to us." Jude replied to the girl.

"Hey! Stop talking, you two, and keep moving!" one of the Rune Knights yelled at them.

"But, sir! You don't understand! We have no idea what's going on!" Leia cried to the knight as she and Jude stop and turn to him.

"We don't even know why we are dressed up like this!" Jude added.

"I said keep-" The knight gets interrupted when Tryo places her hand in front of his chest. The knight turns to her and fell silent when she notices the glare on her face.

Tryo turns her head to Jude and Leia and questioned, "What do you mean you two have no idea what is going on?"

"Well…" Jude frowns at her. "The last thing I remembered is that I was at home, studying medicine so that one day, I can take over my family's clinic."

"And I was at the bakery helping out my own family." Leia said. "And then…an army of knights dressed in white invaded our hometown…and while we were fleeing…I saw one of them knocked Jude out. I tried to escape but I was found by another knight…and he knocked me out too."

"And now when we woke up, we don't know why we find ourselves wearing the same uniforms as the knights who invaded our town. And I have no idea why we are being taken away just like the rest of them!" Jude yelled as he turns to the other praetors who have been standing behind him and staring back at them in confusion.

"What are your names?" Nolan inquired.

"Leia Rolando." Leia responded as she and Jude turn to him.

"Jude Mathis." Jude replied.

"What is your hometown?" Lucas asked.

"Leronde." Jude said. His response was met with shock and confusion from Darren, Yuri, Sheena and the members of the Faction, Team Natsu and Brave Vesperia.

"That's one of the towns in the southern region that had been captured by the Abbey!" Karol said.

"What does this mean?" Wendy said.

"That the Abbey is using townspeople from the places they've conquered to serve in their army?" Lucy implied.

"But then, why are these two completely clueless that they have ever fought alongside the Abbey?" Alicia asked.

Darren narrows his eyes as he contemplates what Lucy and Alicia had said. "Something is definitely wrong here." He murmured.

After regaining his composure, Nolan said to Jude and Leia firmly, "We can continue this discussion when we arrive at Era. Now keep moving."

Jude and Leia momentarily look at each other before they obliged and continue walking their way into the ship. After all the praetors have walked up the ramp, the three Rune Knights follow them from behind while Nolan, Lucas and Tryo walk over to Team Natsu and the others.

"You guys all fought valiantly last night. We owe you our thanks." Nolan said to them.

"And I owe you all an apology too, Team Natsu." Tryo said.

"Thank you, Lieutenant." Natsu replied to her with a smirk as he folds his arms.

"Lucas told me how well you fought against the praetors last night, Yuri. I'm proud of you. Ever want to return back to HQ with us?" Nolan asked Yuri, gesturing him to the ship.

"Well…" Yuri glances at Darren, Sheena, Team Natsu and Brave Vesperia before looking back at Nolan. "I think I'll stay with these guys a little longer. These people do need my help after all."

"Very well. But if you ever think of coming back to the Rune Knights, the doors are always open for you." Nolan said smiling. Yuri chuckled before Nolan gave a pat on his shoulder.

"So what are you guys going to do now from here on out?" Lucas inquired.

"We're going to continue our journey to Mizuho." Natsu replied.

"Because we're hoping that the people over there would aid us in our battle against the Abbey." Darren added.

Lucy gasped as an idea hatches inside her head. "I know! Perhaps you guys can allow us to ride on your ship and give us a lift to Mizuho!" She said to the Faction with a huge grin on her face as she clasps her hands together. Natsu, Gray, Wendy, Happy, Carla, Darren and Sheena all smile and nod their heads frantically as they unanimously favor Lucy's idea. But Erza steps forward and holds up her hand in front of Lucy's face.

"As much as we want to, I think it's best if we continue travelling on foot." Erza said.

"Huh?!" Lucy, Natsu, Gray, Wendy, Happy, Carla, Darren and Sheena cried incredulously.

"Because we don't want to attract the Abbey's attention as much as possible during our journey." Erza explained to her teammates.

"Not to mention, most of the Southern region is still under the Abbey's occupation, and driving our ship to the southwest would make us an easy target for them. So I'm afraid it's best if you follow your leader's advice, Fairy Tail." Nolan said.

"After what happened to us when we left Underwood, I have to agree with Erza." Yuri said. Lucy, Natsu, Gray, Wendy, Happy, Carla, Darren and Sheena sigh heavily in response.

"Oh come on, you lazy bums! Walking on foot during a journey is fun! We'll be able to see all sorts of animals and plant life up close that way!" Alicia said to them encouragingly.

"Easy for you to say." Darren muttered.

"We better report back to HQ now, sir." Tryo said to Nolan.

Nolan nodded to her before looking back at Team Natsu and the others. "Safe travels everyone. And keep up the noble fight." He said to them. Nolan, Lucas and Tryo stood up straight and gave their friends a salute. Darren, Yuri, Sheena, Team Natsu and Brave Vesperia salute back to the three soldiers in response.

As Nolan, Lucas and Tryo turn around and head to their ship, Erza turns back to all of her friends. "Now then, let's get moving and continue our journey to Mizuho."

"Oh. Do we have to leave now?" Sheena sounded disheartened.

"What's wrong?" Darren asked his friend.

"It's just that…" Sheena sighs heavily. "Never mind. I shouldn't waste my money on such useless things."

"Oh but I don't mind spending some of my money away." Darren said as Alicia opens up her pouch. Sheena looks up at them in confusion for a moment before her eyes widened and her jaw dropped in surprise as Alicia takes out a familiar plush fox out from her pouch. "I know how much you like it, so I bought it as a gift for you and had Alicia keep it for me in the meantime."

"D-D-Darren…" Sheena stuttered. "W-w-why would you-"

"Hey, you are my friend after all, Sheena. And this is to show you how much I appreciate the times we had together." Darren smiled at her.

Sheena abruptly throws her arms up in the air and lets out a shriek of joy before snatching the plush fox from Alicia's hands and holds it up close to her face. "Aren't you a cutie little thingie? Aren't you soooo adorable?"

Everybody else laughed before Erza pumps her fist into the air and shouts enthusiastically, "Alright everyone! Let's head out!"

"Aye!" Everybody else replied in unison as they all turn southwest and continue their journey to Mizuho.

* * *

Meanwhile, deep in the forest, Velvet lets out a furious scream every time she slams her fist against the trunk of a tall tree, not caring that her knuckles are beginning to bleed. She eventually delivers her most powerful punch against the trunk, leaving a huge mark upon it, and Velvet lets out a long agonizing shriek as she gazes at the tree for a moment. As her shriek dies down, Velvet's scowl of rage and fury quickly turns into a look of agony and despair as she begins to wail.

Tears cascade down her cheeks as Velvet lowers her fist. She momentarily sways side to side before she falls on her knees and succumbs into a mental breakdown. After Velvet slams her forehead against the trunk, she sobbed uncontrollably and whimpered,

"Laphicet…my dear Laphicet…Please forgive your big sister…" Velvet paused for a moment to take a hard gulp. "For it was me…who killed you…"


	13. The Celestial Being, Part 1

It has been a couple days since Team Natsu and the others have departed from Hargeon. While walking through a desert during their journey to Mizuho, they unfortunately encountered a heavy sandstorm. But thanks to Estelle, she created a force field around them to brave through the violent storm. Unfortunately, Natsu lost the map to the winds due to his clumsiness. When the storm finally dies down, everyone couldn't help but feel a sense of hopelessness. Now that they no longer have a map, they don't know the directions to Mizuho. But Erza, not wanting to leave everyone in a state of despair, reminds them that they should keep travelling northwards. For she is sure that if they keep doing so, they will be out of the desert in no-

"I think we are lost." Erza said dully with her arms hanging limply at her sides.

"WHAAAATTTT?!" The others shouted in unison.

"Erza! You are the highest ranking member of our guild here! You are supposed to be better than this!" Natsu cried at her.

"At least I still tried to get us out of this desert while  _you_ are the one who lost the map in the first place!" Erza snapped at Natsu, jabbing an accusing finger at him.

"I guess your brains melted during our journey, which caused you to get so sloppy." Gray muttered at Natsu.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" Natsu whirled about and snapped at Gray.

Lucy slaps herself on her forehead. "Guys, please stop causing more trouble. We are already in such a deep pit of mess." She groaned.

"What are we going to do now?" Wendy asked worriedly.

"And where exactly are we?" Darren asked as he looked around their surroundings.

Everyone turn their heads around and find themselves standing in the middle of what appears to be a huge campsite, almost as big as a small town. Tents are set up everywhere, with some having stalls and campfires set up in front of them. The men are dressed in jackets and pants and the women are wearing dresses that resemble Islamic clothing.

"Oh! I recognize these people! They are Azadistanis!" Estelle proclaimed.

"The people of the city of Azadistan?" Karol inquired.

"Mm!" Estelle nods her head. "I can recognize them through looking at their clothing."

Yuri sighed sympathetically. "Azadistan was once a powerful city that is able to defend itself from the Alvarez Empire. But eleven months later, they were easily defeated by the Abbey. Now, the Azadistanis scatter across Earth Land as refugees."

Everyone remained in silence for a few seconds before Natsu spoke up, "We should find someone who knows the direction to Mizuho so that we can continue our journey."

"Right. I'll go ask this guy." Darren said. He turned and asked an Azadistani elderly man who runs a food stall in front of his tent. "Hello sir, we just want to know, which is the way to Mizuho?"

In response, the elderly man spoke in a foreign language that sounds very alien to Darren and the others.

"Uh-huh. Yes. Alright. Good. Thank you very much." Darren said, nodding his head as he listened to the man. When the man finished speaking, Darren turns back to the others and sighs heavily. "I have no idea."

"I forgot to mention not many Azadistanis speak the same languages as other places in Fiore." Estelle said, sheepishly placing her hands behind her back.

"So I guess we'll have to painstakingly travel around this campsite until we can find someone who can speak our language?" Lucy asked.

"Great! It's like finding a needle in a haystack!" Sheena groaned.

"Hello there. You guys don't look like Azadistanis."

Everyone gasps and widens their eyes upon hearing a voice speaking in perfect English. They turn their heads and see a woman standing near them while carrying a wooden basket filled with groceries. The woman has long white hair, tied to braid, yellow eyes and dressed in a red dress with blue, black and white outlines, a long-sleeved dark green shirt underneath, black pants, white socks and brown boots. What astonishes them the most is the woman's skin tone is brighter than the other people in the campsite.

The woman smiled at them as she pushes some strands of hair away from her eyes. "What brings you all here? Are you travelers?" She asked them politely.

Sheena scratches her head. "Well, shut me up." She remarked.

"Um, yes. We were travelling, but unfortunately we lost our way." Alicia smiled back at woman.

Abruptly, Team Natsu and the others could hear their stomachs growling and they all blush in embarrassment. The woman giggled and said to them, "I'm so sorry to hear about your tragic situation. Why don't you follow me to my tent? I'll cook dinner for all of you, my treat."

Everyone smile in relief. "Thank you so much, ma'am!" Lucy squealed as she clasps her hands together.

"You're welcome." The woman said. "By the way, my name is Marie Parfacy. Nice to meet you all!"

* * *

Everyone follows Marie from behind as they walk through the campsite. Team Natsu and the others look around and observe the Azadistani people going through their daily lives. Some of them are resting and sleeping inside their tents. Others are visiting the stalls to buy supplies with whatever money they have. Some are growing and harvesting plants from their own small gardens that they have outside of their tents. And while the adults are working to provide their families, the children are playing and chasing each other, not having a care for the world. Darren couldn't help but feel some emotional pain inside him, realizing how fortunate he is to be born and living in a rich nation back in his world while other people out there are fighting and struggling to live out their days.

"Before the Abbey's invasion, Azadistan used to be a proud and powerful city. I came to fall in love with it and even found the man of my life over there. But last month, the Abbey came, decimated our defenses and took away our city. My father urged me to return back to Enca, but because I didn't want to leave him behind, I chose to stay with my husband instead. He protected me and we escaped together, and that's how the both of us ended up here with the other surviving Azadistanis." Marie explained to everyone.

When they heard sobs, Team Natsu and the others turn their heads. To their bewilderment, they see Lucy and Estelle clinging onto each other's arms and failing to suppress their tears as they walk.

"T-t-that is so r-romantic…" Lucy whimpered as tears flow down her cheeks.

"Staying with the one you love even during times of war and chaos. No doubt this is true love!" Estelle chokes out as she wipes away her tears with her free arm.

As Lucy and Estelle wail, Darren sighs as he and the others turn their heads back to the front.

"Girls…" Darren, Natsu, Gray, Yuri and Karol said in unison.

" _Ladies and gentlemen!"_  An announcer yelled nearby in the Azadistani language. Marie and the others stop and turn their heads to the side to see the announcer standing in the center of a small podium with a microphone in his hand. Behind him is an extremely large white mat which a few men had laid flat on the sand. Several people and their children stood in front of the podium to watch the announcer.  _"We'll be holding our annual Qital Dire competition four days from now! We still have a few slots left for anybody willing to participate. So if you are interested and wish to make our people proud, sign up today and right now!"_  The crowd murmur among themselves.

" _I can't wait for the competition!"_  A small boy said enthusiastically in their native language to the other children.

" _Yeah! Can't wait to see the fighters go punching and kicking each other!"_ A girl said anxiously.

An elderly man sighs as he turns to the young adults next to him.  _"It's pretty much going to be the same as last time."_  He muttered.

" _I agree."_  A young adult man responded to him.  _"I can already predict that Ali is going to win the tournament again."_

" _He always wins every competition for the last three years."_  A young adult woman added.

"What are they talking about?" Erza questioned.

"There's going to be a fighting competition happening here four days from now." Marie replied to her.

"A fighting competition?!" Natsu perks up as a huge grin appears on his face.

"Yes." Marie said. "Four days from now, we are going to hold our annual Qital Dire competition. Qital Dire means 'Armor Fight' in Azadistani. It is the city's traditional fighting style and a part of our culture to hold this competition once every year in a way to symbolize the strength and power of the Azadistani people."

"Oooh, interesting." Happy said.

"Back in our city, our soldiers would wear large, oversized armor to fight against our invaders." Marie explained. "That was how Azadistan remain strong and powerful for many generations," Marie's eyes softened as her lips flip downwards. "Until we were finally overwhelmed by the Abbey. We underestimated our new enemy, and to our shock and surprise, they defeated our armored fighters and proceed to conquer our home." There is a moment of silence among Marie and the others.

" _And now, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome our defending champion, the Indestructible Saachez, a.k.a. Ali al-Saachez!"_  The announcer extends out his left arm as he moves away. A man with messy red hair and beard cackled as he walks up the podium while carrying a gold championship belt over his left shoulder. The announcer holds out his microphone to Ali, who snatches it from his hand.

" _What's up everybody?"_  Ali smirked at the audience.  _"I heard there are still a few vacant slots left for the upcoming competition. So if there is anyone out there who is willing to fight against me, I'll be honored to make you by next victim."_  Ali laughs at his own joke.

Despite not understanding the language Ali is speaking in, Team Natsu and the others can easily tell how arrogant the man is by his tone and body language.

"Who's the loud mouthed guy with the bushy beard?" Gray asked Marie while arching an eyebrow at the boastful fighter.

"That's Ali al-Saachez, the defending champion." Marie replied, narrowing her eyes. "He was also our champion before the Abbey's invasion, and he always proudly proclaims how invincible he is in the fighting ring."

"Sheesh, kinda reminds me of every gamer who boasts through their headphones after ranking first in every online match…only for me to topple them off their made-up throne afterwards." Darren said with his hands stuffed in his pockets.

"He sure remains lively even after losing his homeland." Judith said with her arms folded.

"He doesn't care. He only just wants to prove everyone he is still the strongest Azadistani around." Marie replied.

" _I'll take down anyone who gets in my way!"_  Ali shouted as he jabs his finger at all the people in front of him.  _"Oh wait, I take that back. I'll take down NO ONE who gets in my way, because NOBODY has the guts to fight me head-on! AHAHAHAHAHA!"_  Marie, Darren, Sheena, Yuri and the members of Fairy Tail and Brave Vesperia frown at Ali in disgust as they watch the display.

"We should keep moving. I don't want to make my poor husband wait any longer for our dinner." Marie said to everyone.

"Right." Lucy agreed with her.

* * *

Dawn arrived as everyone continues following Marie from behind to the other side of the campsite. Before they knew it, they find themselves standing in front of two large white tents. One of the tents is closed while the other has an open entrance, showing that there are two beds inside, along with a portable stove and a lacrima ball.

"We're here! My home sweet home." Marie smiled, introducing her tents to Team Natsu and the others. "You guys can sit outside and make yourselves comfortable while I go get my husband."

As everyone sat down in front of the tent's entrance, Marie goes over to the other tent and pokes her head inside.

"Allelujah, I'm home! And I even brought some guests here with me!" Team Natsu and the others could hear Marie calling out.

Marie turns back to them. "You guys can introduce yourselves to my husband while I prepare dinner." She said. As Marie go inside the tent to put down her groceries and start making dinner, a man steps out of the other tent.

The man is tall and muscular, and has shoulder-length black hair with several strands flowing down in front of his right eye. He has slightly darker skin than Marie and currently dressed in a simple black shirt, black pants, a dark brown belt with a silver square buckle and dark brown boots. He uses a towel to wipe off the sweat around his neck before turning his head to Team Natsu and the others.

"Hello, you must be Marie's husband." Erza greeted as she and the others smile and wave their hands at him.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. And your wife has been very nice to us." Alicia added.

The man stares back at his guests with a sad eye as he greeted them dully, "Good evening."

The smiles on everyone's faces disappear as the man quietly enters the other tent. He walks over to Marie and sat next to her as she cooks the food with the portable stove. Marie momentarily plants a small kiss on the man's cheek and said to her guests, "Don't mind him. That's just how he is. His name is Allelujah Haptism, and he must be happy to meet all of you."

"Nice to meet you, Allelujah." Yuri said as he waves his hand at Allelujah again. Allelujah simply gave a small nod to him in response before turning back to what Marie is cooking.

"I hope you like what I'm making tonight." Marie said to Allelujah as she gave a gentle pat on his thigh.

"I wonder what is going through his head. He looks very sad." Wendy said with a frown.

"Maybe he's not the talkative type like Gray." Natsu whispered to his teammates.

"What did you say?!" Gray yelled at Natsu as he felt a nerve being struck.

"Natsu, Gray! This is soooo not the time!" Lucy chided her friends over their lack of restraint.

"And if you two break into a fight right now, I swear…" Erza grumbled at Natsu and Gray as she quivered in rage.

When Karol notices Natsu and Gray shuddering at Erza preparing to unleash her inner demon, he quickly tries to make the situation better by questioning Marie, "So Marie, what exactly are you cooking tonight? It smells delicious!"

"Oh thank you very much, Karol!" Marie said gratefully to Karol. "It's cauliflower stew! I'm sure you all will love it!"

Lucy sighs in relief and whispered, "Thank you Karol…"

"Mmm, sounds delicious. What is it exactly made of besides cauliflower?" Karol inquired, intentionally trying to make his conversation with Marie longer.

As Marie began conversing with her guests, Darren turns his head to the tent which Allelujah came out from before. He glances at his friends and see that they are busy listening to Marie's explanation. He turns back to the tent again and decides to take the opportunity to see what is inside.

Darren quietly gets up and walks over to the tent. He slowly pushes the entrance flap aside to take a look inside. His eyes grew wide and his mouth agape as he entered.

In front of him are an anvil, a large stove and a desk next to it. What really caught his attention the most is a very large dome-shaped dark grey metal helmet with a yellow visor placed on the desk next to the stove. He also noticed a portrait placed besides the helmet.

Darren walks over to the desk and picks up the portrait to take a closer look. In the picture is Allelujah wearing a large, oversized dark grey metal armor that covers up his entire body. There is a long black turret attached on top of his right shoulder armor. Also on his arms are two large gatling guns placed on the right gauntlet and a large pair of metal claws on the left.

In front of him is Marie who is wearing a dark yellow shirt, a brown belt with a silver square buckle, dark grey pants and black boots. She is smiling happily as she places her head against Allelujah's chest armor and wraps her arms around him in a warm embrace. Allelujah, who towers over his wife by nearly three feet, is also smiling for the camera as he carefully places his hand on Marie's back.

Darren glances at the helmet on the desk before looking back at the portrait. He stares at the picture in awe as he came to a realization.

"Allelujah…" Darren uttered. "He used to be a Qital Dire fighter."

His thoughts were soon interrupted by a loud cough. Darren whirled about to see Allelujah, standing at the entrance while holding a plate containing his dinner in one hand. Darren flinched at the cold glare Allelujah is giving him.

"You're not supposed to be here." Allelujah said icily to him.

"S-sorry." Darren said apologetically as he places the portrait down on the desk. "I just-"

"Get. Out." Allelujah said firmly.

Darren sadly nods his head before making his way out of the tent. Allelujah glares at Darren as he watches him leave. He blew out a sigh before going back into his tent and closing the flap behind him.

"Darren! What were you thinking?! How can you trespass into people's homes like that?!" Sheena scolded Darren as he walks over to her.

"Sorry guys, I was curious." Darren said as he sat with the others and Marie.

"Marie, I'm so sorry about my friend's behavior for barging into your property without your permission." Sheena said apologetically to Marie.

"Oh no, don't need to feel sorry." Marie smiled at her as she waves her hand. "You guys aren't familiar with this place after all. Here you go, Darren." Marie hands a plate of her dinner to Darren who takes it from her hand.

"Thank you." Darren said to her.

Marie grabs her own plate of her food and said to her guests, "Let's eat!"

Darren, Sheena, Yuri, Team Natsu, Brave Vesperia and Marie proceed to eat the cauliflower stew she had cooked for everyone. It is a shame that Allelujah isn't eating with them as everyone would have love to know more about him. But Marie explained to them that her husband is usually quiet and isn't very social with others.

"Delicious!" Yuri commented with his eyes wide before taking another bite of his food.

"Your stew taste great!" Estelle remarked.

"It's really good!" Alicia complimented as she looks up at Marie.

"Thank you very much." Marie replied with a soft smile.

Everyone seems to be enjoying the food Marie had cooked for them, except Natsu who stares at the plate of food in his hands in disgust.

"Come on Natsu, eat your dinner. It is rude to not eat the food that our host had graciously cooked for us." Lucy said to him.

"If there isn't any meat inside this, I ain't eating." Natsu grumbled.

"Natsu, if you don't eat your veggies, I'll make sure you get up early in the morning and do a hundred push-ups to make up for it." Erza growled as she glares at Natsu.

Natsu flinched as soon as he took a glance at Erza's death glare. Knowing that Erza's way of training people is brutal, painful and ends in tears, Natsu picks up his spoon and hurriedly eats the stew.

"Hey! Not so fast or you'll end up choking!" Lucy rebuked.

Marie giggled as she watches Natsu eats her food in a very fast pace. "Oh my, I'm glad you love eating my stew so much. I can give you another round if you so desire." She said. Natsu looks up at Marie with his cheeks puffed up and his eyes widened in disbelief.

"Marie, may I ask you something?" Darren asked.

"Of course! You can ask me anything." Marie turned to him.

"How did you first met Allelujah?" Darren inquired. "How exactly did you meet and fall in love with him?"

"Ah yes." Marie's eyes softened as she strokes her hair. "Like all of you, I was a traveler back then. I was visiting the city of Azadistan at the time, and it was one of the most beautiful and exotic places I've ever seen in all of Earth Land. I was so mesmerized by the sights of their city that I wasn't looking where I go. I bumped into some men who began harassing me, demanding me to apologize and compensate them. But, that is until Allelujah shows up. He completely towers over me and my harassers while dressed in his armor. He grabs the men and tosses them aside like throwing paper balls into a waste basket." She chuckled for a moment while the others stare back at her in bewilderment. "And as soon as Allelujah turns his head to me and we lay our eyes on each other's faces for the very first time…that was when my heart began racing. The first words he ever said to me were asking me if I was alright. Of course, because my mind was so emotionally clouded back then, my way of saying yes was pretty dumbfounded. And when he turned his back on me, I began following him from behind. Back then, he didn't know why I was doing that and looking back, I was a bit creepy too." Marie chuckled momentarily again. "I kept following him for two days until eventually; he just walks up to me and ask if I want to join him for lunch. Of course I accepted his offer and we began communicating with each other since. And it's no surprise that our relationship eventually blossomed into true love."

"That's really nice of him." Alicia said.

"He is a nice person." Marie nods her head. "Allelujah may be tall…huge…looks intimidating…but deep down, when you get to know him, he's still a very kind man with a gentle heart."

"So what happened? Why is he sad and quiet now?" Darren asked.

Marie sighed inwardly. "Well, after dating for two years, Allelujah and I eventually got married and my father was there to watch our happiest moment. But sadly, only a short while after our marriage, the Abbey invaded Azadistan. My father stressed that I should return back to Enca with him. But I never want to leave my husband behind. So I chose to stay in Azadistan with him. Allelujah stood in the front lines with his fellow Qital Dire warriors and they all fought valiantly against the Abbey. But unfortunately, the city of Azadistan underestimated their strength. Despite their small size, the Abbey's foot soldiers defeated them. Fortunately, Allelujah survived and I was so happy to learn that he is still alive. But sadly, my husband was traumatized by the deaths of his fellow warriors who fail to defend Azadistan from the Abbey's advance. Azadistan fell shortly afterwards and my husband and I escaped the city together. Since then, my husband grew silent. He blames himself for the fall of our city and became isolated from the outside world. Now, he just stays inside his own home and the only person left in his life he still talks to is me." Marie lowers her head and frowns as she places her hand on her chest. "Watching him stay silent and continuing to carry the blame really hurts me. But I'm not going to give up on him. As his wife, it is my responsibility to stay by his side and help him get through the emotional pain he still carries inside him."

As Darren fell silent after listening to her explanation, Erza smiled sadly at Marie and said, "Allelujah should feel very fortunate to have a dedicated woman like you as his wife."

Alicia and Sheena turn to Lucy and Estelle as they sob and wipe away their tears again. Alicia sighs heavily before commenting, "Seriously? Again?"

"Suck it up, you guys." Sheena murmured.

"Marie, we really thank you for the dinner you have provided for us." Gray said. "But now, we are wondering if you could do us a favor. We lost our map during our travels and got ourselves wandering around aimlessly. That is how we ended up in this place. So we are hoping if we can get a new map of Earth Land in this campsite."

"Oh, that's okay! You don't have to worry. My husband has some spare maps of Earth Land. I'll go ask him if he can give one of them away to all of you." Marie said.

Everyone except Darren smile at Marie in relief. "Thank you so much, Marie!" Natsu said with gratitude.

"You're welcome." Marie bows her head to her guests before getting up and making her way to Allelujah's tent. While Sheena, Yuri and the members of Team Natsu and Brave Vesperia express their joy and relief to each other, only Darren stayed silent, contemplating over what Marie had told him and his friends about Allelujah's past.

* * *

Marie hands over a spare map to Erza after her husband agreed to give one of his away to Team Natsu and Brave Vesperia. Realizing that it is getting late, Darren, Sheena, Alicia, Yuri and the two guilds decide to stay in the refugee camp for the night. They step out of the boundaries of the campsite and Erza and Estelle magically summon their camping equipment.

Darren, Alicia, Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Wendy, Yuri and Judith waste no time in setting up the tents which they had slept inside before. After they have finish building them up, everyone sat outside their tents and happily converse with each other.

"I'm so glad we got ourselves a new map. Now we can continue our journey early in the morning!" Natsu said, grinning happily.

"Let's hope we don't encounter another sandstorm or we'll end up losing our new map too." Sheena said.

"Sheena, don't jinx us." Judith said flatly.

"No I'm not!" Sheena protested. "I'm just making a comment!"

"But Sheena is right. You better be more careful next time, Natsu!" Lucy reminded her friend. In response, Natsu groaned in annoyance as he throws his head back.

"Indeed. I certainly don't want us to go through all that trouble in trying to navigate without the usage of a map again." Carla muttered as she rubs her temples.

"If you are all so worried, why not give it to me-" Happy tried to say, but he soon gets interrupted by Lucy.

"Oh no! We are soooo not entrusting the map to someone who is just as careless as Natsu!" Lucy cried, narrowing her eyes and jabbing a finger at Happy.

"Just kidding." Happy snickered with a lopsided grin.

"Keep it down, everyone! You're going to wake the refugees who have gone to sleep." Wendy said to everyone nervously.

Alicia lets out a heavy sigh as she watches her friends end up making another commotion among themselves. But she quickly realized that Darren isn't sitting with them. Alicia turns her head to the side and notices Darren standing nearby and staring out to the campsite. She gets up from the ground and walks over to him.

"Hey there, what's up?" Alicia asked Darren in concern as she walks over to his side. She notices the frown on Darren's face as he watches the refugees heading back into their tents and deactivating their lacrimas, preparing to go to sleep.

"Darren, are you okay?" Alicia asked again. She places her hand on his shoulder which snaps him out of his thoughts.

Darren turns to Alicia and responded, "I'm fine. It's just…it's about Allelujah. He was once a strong and noble warrior before the Abbey's invasion. But now, he's been reduced to nothing more than someone who has lost his pride and honor."

"Yeah, I feel sorry for him too." Alicia said softly as she removes her hand.

"Alicia, I was wondering. Can we stay here until the end of the competition?" Darren asked.

"What?" Alicia widens her eyes in surprise.

"I know it's crazy but…I really want to help Allelujah. He clearly lost his purpose in living. If this keeps up, he will eventually lose his connection with everyone around him, even Marie." Darren explained. "That is why; I'm going to enter him into the Qital Dire tournament."

Alicia said nothing as she stares wordlessly at him. Darren smirked at her before saying to her, "I'm going to train him and build the best armor he is going to wear in the competition." He raises his hand up and curls it into a tight fist. "I want to help him regain what he had lost and become one of the greatest warriors in all of Earth Land again!"

* * *

Allelujah and Marie slowly woke up from their sleeping bags as the sun rises in the morning sky. They rose up from the floor and Marie moans as she stretches her arms while Allelujah scratches his head and strokes his ruffled hair.

"Good morning, Allelujah." Marie turns to her husband and smiled.

Allelujah responded with a small nod and replied softly, "Morning."

"I'll prepare breakfast while you go outside to stretch yourself." Marie said and she plants a small kiss on Allelujah's cheek. While Maries crawls over to the portable stove and her grocery bags, Alllelujah gets up and makes his way out of their makeshift home.

As soon as he steps out though, his eyes instantly snap wide open and his jaw dropped in genuine surprise. He never expected to find Darren, standing right in front of him and the entrance to his home. A wide smile plasters across Darren's face as he raised his hand.

"Good morning, Allelujah! How are you doing today?" Darren greeted cheerfully. Allelujah didn't say a word as he stares back at him dumbfounded.

When he didn't get any sort of response, Darren chuckled and continued, "I'm sure you're aware that the annual Qital Dire competition is only three days from now. And guess what? I've signed you up!"

"Huh?" Allelujah said incredulously. That was when Darren's cheerful smile quickly distorts into an ugly scowl as he draws out his katana and raises it diagonally into the air.

"So what are you waiting for?! Begin running around the entire campsite now! MOVE YOUR ASS!" When Darren stomps his foot, Allelujah flinched and obliged. Despite being several inches taller than Darren, Allelujah cannot overcome the fear and wraith that he had laid upon him. He turns to his right and began running his way out of the boundaries of the campsite.

"I'll be watching you! Run faster!" Darren bellowed as he sheathes his katana and runs after Allelujah from behind.

* * *

After running around the campsite and returning back to the tent, Darren orders Allelujah to get down on the ground and do a hundred push-ups. Darren kneels down and gazes at Allelujah as he pushes himself up and down from the ground.

While that is going on, Alicia, Sheena, Yuri and the members of Team Natsu and Brave Vesperia are all standing nearby and watching Darren train the tall man.

"Is he seriously going to train someone to fight and win in the competition within just three days? He must be crazy." Yuri asked with an arched eyebrow.

"I hope he succeeds though. You can do it, Darren!" Estelle said encouragingly as she holds up her fists.

"It seems Darren took some notes from you, Erza." Alicia said to Erza.

"Heh. It feels as if the student has become the master for a change." Erza smirked as she folds her arms.

"More like a goblin training a dragon." Sheena said as she places her hands on the sides of her hip. A small smile appears on her face as she couldn't help but admire Darren's determination to train the former Azadistani warrior for the upcoming competition. It was as if the timid and clueless person that she once knew had come a long way ever since joining Team Natsu and Brave Vesperia on their journey together.

"Come on, man! Is this the best you can do? FASTER!" Darren roared at Allelujah.

Allelujah narrows his eyes and grits his teeth as he felt angered by Darren's merciless shouting. He lets out a yell of rage as he does his push-ups at a faster pace.

* * *

When Allelujah finished his push-ups, Darren now demands him to do sit-ups. Darren places his knees down on Allelujah's feet as the former Azadistani warrior does his exercises.

Nearby, Marie is passing her food to Alicia, Sheena, Yuri and the members of Team Natsu and Brave Vesperia who are sitting outside their tent. After they thank her for making breakfast for them, Marie goes over to Darren and passes him his plate of food.

"Thanks Marie." Darren smiled at Marie as he takes the dish from her. He turns to Allelujah and gave him a smirk. "Unfortunately for you, you can't eat until you're done with your exercises."

Allelujah grumbled under his breath, but he turns to Marie who smiled tenderly at him as she stood beside him.

"Keep up the good work, dear." Marie said encouragingly before walking back inside their tent. A smile takes form on Allelujah's face for a brief moment. He turns back to Darren who munches on his flatbread. He frowns and narrows his eyes at him as he continues doing his sit-ups.

* * *

Darren gave Allelujah a pat on his shoulder after he finished his exercises. He passes him his towel and Allelujah uses it to wipe off his sweat on his neck and chest.

"You did well today, Allelujah." Darren said. "But now, it's time for the second phase of your training, and that is building your armor. Which means you'll have to allow me to enter your tent, will you?"

Allelujah glances at his tent for a moment and turns back to Darren. He silently nods his head and Darren's smile widens.

"Thank you very much. Let's go inside." Darren said. The two walk over to Allelujah's tent, push aside the entrance flaps and step inside. Darren eagerly goes over to the stove and turns to Allelujah. "Alright, now that we are here, I want you to replicate the exact same armor that you had back then." He instructed Allelujah as he points at the portrait of him in his old armor with Marie.

Allelujah sighed inwardly as he gazes at the portrait. He walks over to it and picks it up from the desk. After staring silently at the picture for a few seconds, Allelujah uttered, "Every time I see this picture, it reminds me of the good old days. And most of the time, I long for those days again. I continue having dreams of how I used to be a proud and honorable defender of Azadistan. But my perspective of myself changed when the Abbey attacked. Despite the combined strengths of both me and my armor, I was easily defeated. And all of my fellow brothers-in-arms…I watched them die around me, one by one. That battle changed my life, and I blame myself for not being able to defend my home, which led to what is happening to my fellow Azadistanis now."

Darren stared wordlessly at Allelujah as he gently slides his fingers on Marie in the picture. "The only thing left that is reminding me to stay alive is my wife. And even still, I stayed silent…letting myself suffer from the emotional pain inside me instead of opening it up to the person who cared for me the most." Allelujah paused for a moment to wipe away the tears from his eyes. "I miss my old self. I wish I can regain the pride and honor that I once had. I wish I can feel the love that I had for everyone around me, especially Marie, all over again." Darren walks over to him and places his hand on Allelujah's shoulder.

"Then let's work together to revive your old self again, huh?" Darren said with a smirk. Allelujah places the portrait down on the desk and nods his head.

"Let's do it." He said firmly.

* * *

Allelujah puts on his gloves and apron before waving his hand to activate the heat lacrima inside the bottom of the stove. He turns and sees Darren placing the blueprints of his armor on the desk.

"It's a thing of beauty, isn't it?" Allelujah asked.

"Even though art is never my best subject in school, I can't wait for you to show me the ropes." Darren said.

Allelujah flashes a quick smirk at Darren before turning back to his stove. When he felt that the temperature of the heat coming from the flames is right, Allelujah begins his process of making his armor. He holds up his hand and magically summons his pair of tongs, much to Darren's amazement.

"We Azadistanis aren't primitive. We do use magic. But when it comes to carving the armor, you do it by hand." Allelujah said solemnly.

"Just like cleaning your room…" Darren said. "You do it by hand."

"Exactly right."

For the next hour, Darren attentively watched Allelujah create the pieces of his desired design for his armor. He uses a hammer to slam on a large piece of metal that he securely placed on the anvil with his tongs several times. When Allelujah is satisfied with the curve of the piece he had made, he picks it up with his tongs and dips it into a large bucket of water, causing it to sizzle. When the metal piece has cooled down, Allelujah removes it from the bucket and places it on the desk. Darren stares at it in awe, realizing that it is a greave.

Allelujah picks up another flat piece of metal from the floor and holds it up to Darren. He passes the hammer to Darren and said, "Now you try."

Darren walks over to the anvil and places the piece of metal on top of it. Allelujah began instructing him while Darren starts to slam the hammer onto the metal.

As they work, Marie enters the tent while carrying a tray of food and drinks she had made for Allelujah and Darren. When she noticed that her husband and friend are busy working on the armor and conversing with each other, Marie couldn't help but smile. She had never seen her husband this active for a while. She places the tray of food down on the floor before she quietly turns around and leaves the tent.

Some time had passed and Allelujah told Darren to stop slamming the metal. Darren picks it up from the anvil with the tongs and a huge smile takes form on his face as he stares at his creation. He has always been crafting items and weapons in video games, but never imagined that one day; he would actually build something similar in reality.

Allelujah tells Darren to dip the piece of metal into the bucket of water. When the metal piece has cooled off, Darren removes it from the bucket and places it on the desk along with Allelujah's earlier creation.

"We got ourselves a pair." Allelujah said.

"Alright!" Darren said enthusiastically as he holds up his hand to Allelujah. Allelujah stares at his hand in confusion and Darren explains to him, "Oh um, you are supposed to hit my hand back." Allelujah curls his hand into a fist and gave a punch onto Darren's hand. Darren shrugs his shoulders. "Close enough."

Darren and Allelujah spend the rest of the day building the armor up until late at night. For the next three days, they would go to sleep late and wake up as soon as morning came. Darren forces Allelujah to do some intense exercises before having their breakfast. Afterwards, they will head into Allelujah's tent and continue working on the armor. As they work, Darren and Allelujah would get into conversations, telling their stories to each other that happened in their respective worlds. Every once in a while, Marie or any of Darren's friends will take a quiet peek through the entrance flaps of the tent to see what they are doing. They would either catch them working on the armor or smiling back at them as they have their lunch and conversing with each other. Either way, Marie and Darren's friends would feel glad to see them working hard for the upcoming competition and seeing Allelujah working and interacting with another person again.

* * *

Eventually, the day of the Qital Dire competition has come. A few hours before the competition starts, Darren told his friends and Marie to stay outside of Allelujah's tent as he goes inside to get his friend to prepare himself. Everyone stood outside of the tent for ten minutes.

"Darren, are you done inside there?" Natsu called out to him, sounding impatient.

As soon as he said that, Darren steps out of the tent with Allelujah's dome-shaped helmet in his hand and sees everyone standing in front of him. "Sorry to keep you waiting but I'm done dressing him up for the competition." He said.

"Dressing…up?" Alicia said. Darren pushes the entrance flap and stand aside. Everyone present could hear some heavy stomping coming from inside the tent and also feel the ground trembling. As Allelujah steps out of the tent, everybody raise their heads and widen their eyes in awe.

To their amazement, Allelujah now towers over them by a few feet as he is dressed in a large, oversized dark grey metal armor. Marie places her hands over her mouth, surprised beyond belief to see her husband once again dressed in that familiar armor all those years ago.

Darren smirked and holds up the helmet to his friend. "You're ready."

Allelujah gave a solemn nod to him. He takes the helmet and securely places it over his head. It is time to find out if all of their efforts had paid off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while since I've updated this story, but it's finally back. I hope you all enjoy the latest chapter!


	14. The Celestial Being, Part 2

The Azadistanis gather in front of the large white mat to watch the annual fighting competition. The announcer and seven men dressed in oversized armors stood on the mat and face the audience. One of the men is Ali, grinning at the spectators as he is dressed in a pale red metallic armor with white blades attached on its gauntlets.

" _Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls! Today is the time of the year once again! Welcome to our annual Qital Dire competition!"_ The announcer said to the spectators with his microphone.  _"Let this competition serve as a reminder to all of us, young and old, that even in times of war, even when our home is taken, our spirit and culture never died. This year, which one of our eight competitors will win the tournament?"_

The announcer is interrupted by Ali's laugh.

" _Sorry sir, but I think you made a mistake. There are only seven of us here."_  Ali said to him.

" _But I heard from the judges that there are eight registered competitors this year."_  The announcer said.

" _Really? Ha!"_  A huge grin appears on Ali's face.  _"I guess the eighth competitor didn't show up because he's too chicken to face me! HAHAHAHAHA!"_  He burst out into a cruel laugh, completely ignoring the odd looks from the people around him.

"Sorry we're late!"

" _Huh?"_  Ali said in confusion. Everyone turn their heads to the right side of the mat to see Darren rushing over.

As he stood at the side of the mat, Darren turns to the spectators and sees Marie and his friends standing at the far left corner of the crowd waving their hands at him. Darren smiled back at them before holding up a piece of paper which he wrote and Marie helped translate them into their native language. He points his finger up in the air as he exclaimed,  _"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls! Please welcome the eighth competitor of the tournament…Allelujah Haptism!"_

Everyone turn their heads again and see Allelujah, dressed in his armor, walking his way to the competition mat. He turns to the spectators and waves his hand at them.

"Go Allelujah!" Marie cheered for her husband as she waves her hand at him.

"Kick some butt out there!" Natsu shouted enthusiastically as he gave a thumbs-up.

"You can do it!" Wendy cried as she pumps her fists into the air.

Happy laughs as he flies around the air, performing several loops. Gray places his fingers into his mouth and gave a loud whistle while Lucy, Erza, Carla, Alicia and the others clap their hands.

" _Allelujah Haptism? I think I heard that name before."_ One of the spectators murmured.

" _I remember! He was one of the captains of the Qital Dire warriors who fought against both the Alvarez Empire and the Abbey head-on!"_  Another spectator realized aloud.

" _Amazing…"_  Another spectator responded to him.

" _An actual Qital Dire warrior in this year's competition? This may be interesting after all."_  Another one remarked.

Ali frowns at the audience as he hears and notices the spark of interest that Allelujah had gained from them. He turns back to Allelujah as he walks over to the end of the line of fighters and stands next to one of them. He grits his teeth as he stares at him. He doesn't care if Allelujah had fought in the battlefield before. No matter what, he isn't losing his championship belt to anyone this year or ever.

As the officials escort Darren out of the fighting zone, the announcer turns back to the spectators and proclaimed,  _"Alright everyone! Now that all eight of our registered fighters are here, we can now proceed to make the draw!"_

The spectators applaud as an official walks up to the announcer with a glass bowl filled with small folded pieces of paper. Meanwhile, Darren walks over to the far left end of the crowd to reunite with Marie and his friends.

"I hope I helped made an intriguing entrance for Allelujah just now." Darren said to them.

"Man, I'm starving." Natsu groans as he rubs his stomach.

"Want some? I bought these from one of the food vendors." Estelle asked as she holds up a paper bag full of skewers to Natsu.

"Alright, thanks!" Natsu grins as he takes a skewer from the bag and takes a bite. But only a second later, his eyes nearly bulged out and he lets out a cry of disgust as he heaves out its contents onto his hand. "Gak!"

"Excuse you!" Lucy cried at her friend in annoyance as she stood beside him.

"What is this?!" Natsu yelled in displeasure as he looks down at the food he had munched on his hand.

"Oh, it's grilled vegetable skewer, consisting of tomatoes, garlic, onions and capsicums." Marie answered his question.

"Aww yuck!" Natsu groaned. He turns back to Estelle and he was about to pour his food into her bag of skewers. But Estelle flinched and quickly moves away from the pink-haired mage while protectively covering up her bag of food.

"Don't even think about it!" Estelle shouted at Natsu.

" _And that means the last match shall be Rafi Hamed VS Allelujah Haptism."_  The announcer said as he puts back a folded piece of paper back into the glass bowl.  _"So as the tournament lineup is stated…Match 1 is Ali al-Saachez VS Reza Kadhim…"_

Ali smirks as he turns to the fighter dressed in gold armor.

" _Match 2 is Mahdi Meram VS Fawaz Aosman…Match 3 is Salem Fardan VS Nazrul al-Matari…And finally match 4 is Rafi Hamed VS Allelujah Haptism."_

Allelujah turns to Rafi who stood right beside him and extends his hand to him. Rafi grabs his hand and shakes it.

" _The winners of these matches will advance to the semi-finals, and after that, the championship final. Good luck to all our glorious fighters!"_  The announcer extends his left arm to all the participants as he proclaimed. The fighters clap their hands while the spectators including Marie, Darren and his friends cheered.  _"Now then, without further ado, let the first match of the tournament begin!"_

As Mahdi, Fawaz, Salem, Nazrul, Rafi and Allelujah turn and make their way out of the fighting mat, Ali calls out to the latter,  _"Hey Allelujah!"_

Allelujah stops at his tracks and turns to the proud champion.  _"So you formerly fought in the front lines against the Alvarez Empire and the Abbey, eh?"_  Ali asked with a smirk.  _"Interesting. I've actually always wanted to know how strong you guys really were."_

Allelujah's face distorts into a scowl.  _"You'll find out soon enough."_  He replied.

Ali laughed in response as he places his hands on his hips.  _"Hope you don't fall flat on your face like you all did in your last battle."_  He sneered.

As Ali turns his back on him, Allelujah grits his teeth and his fists shook uncontrollably as he clenches them tightly. Honestly, he would love to deliver a good beating on Ali right now for disrespecting the dead, but he knows he can't let himself get distracted by senseless rage right now. After inwardly taking a deep breath, Allelujah calms himself down and joins the other participants while Ali and Reza prepare for the first match of the tournament.

* * *

Ali and Reza did a few stretches with their bodies and armor as they stood face to face at the center of the mat. As Marie, Darren and his friends watch attentively, they see that the left shoulder pad on Reza's gold armor has sharp spikes while the right pad is a large flat rectangular-shaped shield that goes down to his right wrist.

" _You think that shield of yours is gonna protect yourself from me? Keep dreaming."_  Ali taunted his opponent with a lopsided grin.

" _Fighters! Prepare yourselves!"_  The announcer called to Ali and Reza as he stood far away from the mat while standing beside four judges who are sitting on the ground. Allelujah and the other participants stood beside the judges as they watch the match from the sidelines. Ali and Reza fell silent as they get into their battle stances.  _"3…2…1…FIGHT!"_

The two men yell as they charge towards each other. Ali delivers the first strike by swinging his left fist at Reza. Reza turns his body and blocks Ali's punch with his shield. As he turns his body to the other side, Reza swings his left fist diagonally and throws a direct punch to Ali's gut.

A grin appears on Ali's face as he remarked,  _"Is that all you got?"_

Ali grabs Reza's right shoulder and throws his helmet down like a sledgehammer. Reza yells in pain as the impact cracks the visor of his helmet.

" _That was a heck of a blow you gave to my guts. Now here is mine!"_ Ali taunted as he lifts his knee up and collide it against Reza's gut, causing him to bend forward. Ali firmly grasps Reza by the back of his neck and swings his right fist, delivering a swift punch right into his face.

Reza stumbles backwards and tries to maintain his balance. But just as he recompose himself, Ali charges up to him and delivers a powerful kick to Reza's abdomen that sends him sprawling through the ground and over the edge of the mat. The spectators and the participants fell silent as they watch Reza's elimination. One of the judges rings the bell in front of her, signaling the end of the match.

" _Here's your winner…Ali al-Saachez!"_  The announcer yelled. Ali cackled as he pumps his fists into the air while the spectators applauded. The only ones who aren't clapping are Marie, Darren and his friends, who frown at Ali as he is self-absorbed in his own celebration.

* * *

The second and third matches went uneventful. Mahdi won his fight against Fawaz within a few minutes by pinning him on the ground for three seconds and Salem defeated Nazrul by pushing him out of the mat. With that, the fourth match of the tournament is about to begin and both Rafi and Allelujah enter the fighting mat.

" _Ladies and gentlemen, it is time for Match 4! Rafi Hamed...versus…Allelujah Haptism!"_

"Go Allelujah!" Marie shouted enthusiastically as she, Darren and his friends rapidly clap their hands.

"You can do it!" Alicia added. When Darren looks around and sees the spectators clapping their hands nonchalantly, he frowns and turns back to Allelujah at the fighting mat. He began clapping his hands harder and faster as his eyes widen in frustration, in a feeble attempt to encourage the spectators to give Allelujah a bigger applause.

Allelujah and Rafi stood in front of each other at the center of the mat and bow their heads solemnly. As they take a moment to stretch their bodies and armor, Allelujah had a good look at Rafi's armor. Its torso, shoulder pads, hands, kneepads, greaves and feet are in black while its arms and upper thigh armor are in gold. His armor has several sharp blades attached on its right gauntlet. Rafi looks back at Allelujah and holds up his blades. Allelujah responds by narrowing his eyes and holding up his metal claw.

" _You warriors have gatling guns on your armor during battle too, right?"_  Rafi asked his opponent.

" _Yes. I would have had them on my armor too, but projectile weapons are prohibited in the tournament."_ Allelujah replied.

Rafi's lips form into a wan smile.  _"I always wonder how strong you guys are without the guns anyway."_  He said.

" _Prepare yourselves!"_  The announcer shouted. Allelujah and Rafi lower their arms and get into their fighting stances. Darren and Marie narrow their eyes and clench their fists as they gaze at the fight intensively.  _"3…2…1…FIGHT!"_

Allelujah and Rafi charge at each other and swing their weapons. The two find their claw and blades clash against each other and both fighters stayed at a stalemate, trying to overpower the other.

Rafi curls his free hand into a tight fist and swings it at Allelujah's abdomen. But before he could land a hit, Allelujah successfully swipes Rafi's blades away with his claw, causing his opponent to lower his fist.

Allelujah proceeds to deliver an uppercut underneath Rafi's jaw with his right fist. He swiftly uses his claw to grasp Rafi's left wrist and as he whirled about, he tosses Rafi over to the edge of the mat. Rafi sprawls through the mat but he places his hands down on the ground to slow down his sliding. His helmet barely missed the edge of the mat and he quickly gets back up.

Rafi charges at Allelujah and swings his blades at him. Allelujah dodges them by sliding to the side and goes around Rafi. Rafi turns his head barely in time before Allelujah throws his claw at him and punches him at the side of his helmet. Rafi stumbles onto the ground and Allelujah approaches him.

As he does, Rafi turns around and delivers one final thrust of his blades at Allelujah. But Allelujah grabs the blades with his claw. As he closes the grip of his claw, the blades break and shatter. Rafi widens his eyes and Allelujah aims his claw at his face. Realizing that he is now defenseless without his blades, Rafi laid on the ground in defeat. He taps his hand on the ground, signaling his surrender. This is followed by the ringing of the bell.

" _Here's your winner…Allelujah Haptism!"_  The announcer yelled. The spectators cheered loudly as they applause.

"Way a go, Allelujah!" Marie cried happily for her husband as she, Darren and his friends clap their hands.

"Yeah! Well done!" Darren shouted ecstatically.

Allelujah moves his claw away and extends out his right hand to Rafi.  _"You fought well."_  He commented.

Rafi smiled back at Allelujah before grabbing his hand. Allelujah pulls his opponent up from the ground and Rafi extends his arm out to the man who defeated him, causing the audience to cheer louder.

Darren's smile widened as he watch the spectators cheer. He looks back at Allelujah and continues clapping his hands in satisfaction.

* * *

With the end of the first four matches come the semi-finals. Ali is pitted against Mahdi. Mahdi, who is dressed in a red armor that has angular-shaped shoulder pads and a sharp horn sticking out on the top of his helmet, finds himself stumbling backwards after getting punch in the face by Ali.

Mahdi snarls and charges at Ali again. He delivers a few punches across Ali's helmet. Ali kept his grin on his face as his opponent mercilessly punches him. After Mahdi delivers another punch, Ali swiftly turns back to his opponent and taunts,  _"Give me a break!"_

Suddenly, Ali throws his right fist and delivers a swift punch across Mahdi's face. Mahdi yells in pain as Ali now grabs his right shoulder pad. Ali proceeds to punch him in the abdomen several times with his left fist before finally ending it with an uppercut to the bottom of his jaw.

Mahdi stumbles backwards before falling to the floor like a sack of bricks. Ali places his leg on top of Mahdi's chest and the judge counts to three. Afterwards, she rings the bell.

* * *

In the second semi-final match, Allelujah fights with Salem who is dressed in armor that has an orange torso, white arms and white legs. Salem slams his fists together and tilts his head side to side before getting into his battle stance. Allelujah bows his head to his opponent before preparing to fight as well.

" _3…2…1…BEGIN!"_  The announcer shouted. Salem and Allelujah charge towards each other and the former swings his right fist at the latter. Allelujah dodges the punch by sliding to the other side. But Salem quickly responded by jabbing his left elbow at Allelujah's chest. As Allelujah stumbles to the side, Salem turns and swings his right fist again, successfully delivering a punch to the visor of his opponent's helmet.

The spectators cry and quickly back away from the mat as Allelujah approaches them. But Allelujah regains his balance and stop just before he steps out of the mat. Marie, Darren and his friends sigh in relief from his near elimination. Allelujah stood up and holds up his hand to the spectators, receiving applause from them.

"Go Allelujah!" Darren shouted as he pumps his fist into the air.

Allelujah whirled about as Salem charges at him. Salem throws his fists at him. Allelujah grabs his fists and pushes them back. The two stayed at a stalemate as they push against each other, trying to overpower the other. However, Salem throws his helmet down at Allelujah's face, knocking him down and he fell to his knees.

"Allelujah!" Marie cried in horror.

"Come on! Get up!" Erza shouted.

As Allelujah stayed on the ground, Salem proceeds to lift his knee and kicks him at his face several times. With every hit Allelujah receives, his grip on Salem's fists tightened.

" _I…will…not..."_  Allelujah grits his teeth and glares at Salem.  _"LOSE HERE!"_

Salem stares back in bewilderment as Allelujah slowly gets up from the ground and stands up straight. Allelujah soon lifts his knee up and delivers a powerful kick to Salem's chest. Salem is send stumbling backwards and Allelujah throws his punches across Salem's face. He later grabs Salem's arm with his claw and tosses him over his shoulder, slamming him hard on the mat.

Allelujah places his foot on Salem's chest. Salem could only stay on the ground and stare at his opponent in shock as the judge counts to the three. The bell rings and the spectators cheered.

" _Here's your winner…Allelujah Haptism!"_  The announcer shouted.

"YEEEEESSSSS!" Darren, Alicia and Karol all shouted excitedly as they pump their fists into the air.

"He did it! He made it into the finals!" Karol exclaimed.

"ALLELUJAH!" Marie squealed happily as she frantically claps her hands.

"Alright, Allelujah!" Natsu yelled with a wide grin on his face as he holds his fist up into the air.

"Well done!" Lucy cried in delight as she and Sheena clap their hands.

"Amazing!" Sheena shouted excitedly.

Allelujah turns to Marie, Darren and his friends at the crowd. He smiled underneath his helmet and gave them a thumbs-up.

* * *

As the men behind him are sweeping and flattening the mat with their brooms, the announcer said to the spectators,  _"Ladies and gentlemen, what a spectacular and unprecedented competition this has been! While our undefeated champion Ali al-Saachez has once again reached the final, this year we have a newcomer who has never participate in any prior tournaments, valiantly made his way up to the top! So now it has all come to this! Who will be our Qital Dire champion this year?! Will it be the invincible Ali al-Saachez?! Or the underdog newcomer Allelujah Haptism?!"_

"Go Allelujah! Show that loud mouth Ali who's the real boss in this town!" Darren bellowed as he pumps his fist into the air. This causes several members of the audience to turn their heads to him in a mixture of bewilderment and annoyance.

"Will you quiet down?! You're embarrassing us!" Sheena chided Darren as she felt an overwhelming amount of embarrassment she had gotten.

"Allelujah…" Marie uttered nervously as she clasps her hands together.

The announcer turns to the judges who nod their heads to him. The announcer looks back at the spectators and yelled,  _"And now, without further ado, the final match of the tournament…Ali al-Saachez…versus…Allelujah Haptism!"_

The spectators cheer and clap their hands as the announcer leaves the mat. From the left side, Ali al-Saachez enters the mat with a grin on his face. He waves his hand at the audience while carrying the championship belt over his shoulder. Not all the spectators are cheering for him though as Natsu, Wendy and Happy boo loudly at him while Marie, Darren, Erza, Gray, Lucy, Carla, Yuri, Sheena and Brave Vesperia remain silent.

When Ali arrived at the center of the mat, Allelujah enters the fighting area as well from the right side. As he walked, he takes a deep breath and waves his hand at the audience.

As the spectators cheered for Allelujah, Marie sighs, closes her eyes and lowers her head as she clasps her hands together. "Stay strong…Allelujah…"

"Please let him win, please!" Karol shook nervously and places his hands over his eyes. When Judith sees this, she grabs her leader's wrists and removes his hands from his face.

"Come on boss, don't lose yourself now." Judith said firmly to him.

"I can't watch!" Karol wailed as he looks back at Allelujah and Ali at the fighting mat.

Meanwhile, an official walks over to Ali. Ali holds up his championship belt and grins as he shows it to the spectators. He turns to the official and surrenders his belt to him. As the official leaves the area with the belt, Ali looks back at Allelujah, who is glaring coldly at him.

" _Oh, what's wrong?"_  Ali sneered as he holds up his hands.  _"Are you angry at me because of what I said earlier?"_

" _No."_  Allelujah replied flatly.  _"I'm angry at you because you need to learn your place."_

Ali widens his eyes in shock, completely dumbfounded by Allelujah's response. Shortly after, his look of pure shock distorts into a twisted grimace. His fists shook uncontrollably as he felt fire burning inside his head and chest.

" _I'll show you who isn't at his place!"_  Ali bellowed, jabbing his finger at his opponent.

" _Fighters! Prepare yourselves!"_  The announcer said.

Ali snarled as he gets into his fighting stance.

" _3…"_

Allelujah takes another deep breath before calmly getting into his own battle stance.

" _2…"_

"GO ALLELUJAH!" Lucy and Natsu both shouted in unison.

" _1…"_

"Kick his ass, Allelujah." Darren muttered as he narrows his eyes.

" _GO!"_

Marie lifts her head up and shouted at her husband, "GIVE IT ALL YOU GOT!"

Ali and Allelujah both yell as they charge at each other. They clash their blade and claw against each other and the spectators erupted with yells and cheers.

" _It doesn't matter if you had fought against Alvarez and the Abbey! Your time as a fighter has passed! Now I'm the champion of the Azadistani people!"_  Ali shouted directly at his opponent's face with his eyes wide and his teeth taking the form of a wide sadistic grin.

Allelujah yells in rage as he throws a punch into Ali's gut. As Ali groans and lowers his defense, Allelujah pushes his blade away with his claw. He swings his claw vertically downwards, slamming it on top of Ali's helmet. As Ali bends over, Allelujah lifts his knee up and kicks him directly into his visor, sending him stumbling backwards. The spectators cheered louder.

"GOOD JOB ALLELUJAH!" Erza shouted as she claps her hands. Ali growls as he regains his balance and looks back at Allelujah.

" _You're wrong! A true champion of the people never shows arrogance or disrespect to those who helped us become who we are!"_ Allelujah yells back at Ali.

Ali yells as he charges at his opponent again. He swings his right blade diagonally at Allelujah, who dodges it by sliding his feet backwards. But as Ali moves forward, he quickly swings his left blade horizontally, successfully hitting him at the side of his torso.

As Allelujah bends to the side in pain, Ali swings his right fist diagonally and delivers an uppercut to the bottom of his opponent's jaw. Allelujah finds himself stumbling backwards, but Ali grabs him by his shoulders and kicks him in the abdomen with his knee several times. He finishes it off by swinging his left fist horizontally and punching Allelujah at the right side of his helmet, sending him turning around and falling to the floor on his face. Marie, Darren and his friends gasp.

"Get up Allelujah!" Darren shouted in horror.

"Don't let that jerk overpower ya!" Natsu added.

Allelujah tries to get up but Ali runs over to his side.  _"Oh no, you ain't!"_  He shouted as he kicks Allelujah at the bottom of his jaw, sending him rolling over the floor and landing on his back.

Ali grins as he found his opportunity. He hastily walks over and stomps his foot on Allelujah's torso, causing one of the judges to begin counting.

"1…2…" Before the judge could count to three, Allelujah lifts his head back up and grabs Ali by his ankle.

"What the-" Ali gets cut off when Allelujah rolls over and sends his opponent tripping over his armor. The judge ceases his counting and Ali finds himself falling to the ground on his face.

The spectators cheered again and Marie, Darren and his friends smile in relief, especially Karol who exhaled as he throws his head back and lets his arms hang limply at his sides.

"Get him, Allelujah!" Gray yelled.

Both Allelujah and Ali quickly get back up. They proceed to deliver several punches at each other. Whenever one of them throws a punch at the other, the opponent quickly blocks the punch with his blade or gauntlets.

Eventually, Allelujah successfully lands a punch Ali across his face. Ali retaliates by delivering a powerful punch to Allelujah's abdomen with his left fist. As Allelujah bends over, Ali swings his other fist down on the back of his opponent's head. Ali swings his left fist again and punches Allelujah at the visor of his helmet. Allelujah yells in pain as he stumbles backward.

With a cruel laugh, Ali charges at Allelujah and throws several punches across his face. He finished by lifting his leg up and delivers a powerful kick to his chest, sending him sprawling through the mat.

"Allelujah!" Marie screamed in horror. Thankfully, Allelujah's head miss the edge of the mat by an inch when he came to a halt.

Ali laughs again as he nonchalantly walks over to him.  _"Face it."_ Ali sneered as he shrugs his shoulders.  _"You failed to protect our city because you are weak! You were never strong! That's why you hide yourself in an oversized armor!"_

Allelujah grits his teeth and closes his eyes as he lies on the ground. Is this it? Has his opponent won? Is this the end of his journey of regaining his pride and honor? Has he failed everyone who believes in him, especially Darren and Marie?

"ALLELUJAH!"

Allelujah gasps as his eyes snap open. He turns his head to the spectators and he could see his wife in the crowd, shouting at him with her brows furrowed.

"Please don't do this! Please don't give up! GET BACK UP AND FIGHT!" Marie screamed as she unsuccessfully tried to hold back her tears that are now rolling down her cheeks.

Allelujah stares wordlessly at his wife. As he sees the look of distress on Marie's face, he couldn't help but remember the day he returned home to his wife shortly after Azadistan's failed battle with the Abbey.

* * *

Allelujah walks slowly towards the entrance of his home. He slowly opens the door to find Marie sitting on the couch in the small living room. As he quietly stares at her, he sees her sitting there with her eyes closed and clasping her hands together.

When Marie opens her eyelids, she turns to the door and gasps. She stares at her husband in surprise and disbelief as she lowers her hands and slowly got up from the couch.

"Alle…lujah?" Marie uttered as she looks at her husband, whose face and arms are covered with bruises.

Tears form in his eyes as Allelujah managed to choke out, "M-Marie…"

Marie covers her mouth as tears pooled down from her eyes. She rushes over to her husband and they both gather themselves into a tight embrace. The two sob onto each other as tears pool down their cheeks like tiny rivers.

"Y-y-you're…you're back…" Marie whimpered as she cries on Allelujah's chest.

Allelujah grits his teeth as he tightens his embrace with his wife. "I-I-I'm sorry…I'm sorry I've failed…" He struggled to say as he cried on top of Marie's head.

Marie took a hard gulp and responded with a soft whisper, "Don't be…I'm just glad you're here…"

* * *

Allelujah can never forget the day Marie was so overwhelmed with joy over her husband coming back to her alive and well. He may have failed to defend his home, but at least they still had each other. That is when he realized that if he lose now, everything he had fought for…everything that Darren and Marie had put their heart and soul into…will be all for nothing.

Ali grins as he now stands above his opponent.  _"You are nothing to me."_ He said confidently. Ali lifts his foot above Allelujah's chest and-

Suddenly, much to Ali's surprise, Allelujah swiftly grabs his foot. Allelujah grits his teeth and quivered with rage as he glares back at Ali.

" _Don't you dare…"_  Allelujah muttered before raising his voice in pure anger.  _"DON'T YOU DARE INSULT ME!"_

Allelujah pushes Ali's foot away from him, causing his opponent to stumble backwards. Allelujah quickly gets back up and delivers a swift punch to Ali's gut, causing him to gasp in pain.

" _Don't you dare insult the brave and valiant men who risk their lives to defend our home!"_  Allelujah bellowed before swinging his right fist horizontally at the side of Ali's helmet. As Ali stumbles to the side, Allelujah grabs his neck by his claw. Ali stares at his opponent in terror as he lifts up in the air.

" _And most of all, don't you dare insult the people who despite their flaws, still gave their all!"_  With his final cry of rage, Allelujah tosses Ali to his right and sends him sprawling through the ground. When he came to a halt, Ali lifts his head up and growled. He gets back up on his feet and charges towards Allelujah.

" _I won't let you defeat me!"_  Ali shouted as he lets loose a series of diagonal swings at Allelujah with his blades. Allelujah backs away from every strike Ali throws at him. When Allelujah turns his head for a moment to find himself nearing the edge of the mat, Ali yells as he clenches his fist and delivers a punch to his opponent's chest _, "GET OUT!"_

However, when Allelujah turns back to Ali, he deflects his opponent's fist with his right hand. Ali gasped in shock for a brief moment before Allelujah swings his left fist diagonally and delivers an uppercut to his jaw. Allelujah lets out a ferocious yell as he moves forward and proceeds to deliver a series of punches to Ali's face and abdomen.

"Come on Allelujah, come on!" Karol said as he watches the fight with his eyes wide and his fists clenched tightly.

"Fight back!" Yuri and Estelle both shouted.

"You can do it, Allelujah!" Natsu yelled.

"Come on!" Lucy shouted.

"Aye!" Happy added.

"Fight harder!" Erza cried.

"Don't stop now!" Alicia shouted.

"Give him all you got!" Judith cried.

"Finish him off!" Darren bellowed.

"We know you can win!" Sheena yelled.

"Go Allelujah!" Wendy, Gray and Carla all yelled in unison.

"You can do this…ALLELUJAH!" Marie screamed as her tears continue flowing down her cheeks.

After Allelujah delivers another punch across Ali's face, the undisputed champion snarls as he looks back at his opponent. There is no way he is going to let this failure take away his title.

" _ENOUGH!"_  Ali shouted as he retaliates by swinging his right blade diagonally at Allelujah. The blade slashes across from the bottom left side of his torso armor to the top of his right shoulder pad. Marie, Darren and the others gasped in shock.

Ali grins malevolently at his successful strike. But shortly after, his moment of triumph instantly vanished as much to Ali's surprise, Allelujah glares back at him without showing any signs of pain.

" _Not this time."_  Allelujah said flatly. Before Ali could react, Allelujah bends over and collides his head against his gut. Allelujah firmly grasps the sides of his opponent's torso and Ali finds himself being pushed to the other side of the mat. No matter how hard Ali tried to firmly place his feet on the ground, he doesn't have the strength to stop or slow down his opponent. He began desperately slamming his fists onto Allelujah's back, but his opponent wouldn't falter.

When Ali turns his head and realizes that he is nearing the edge, he looks back at his opponent and bellowed,  _"STOP IT!"_  He raises his fists into the air and brings them down onto Allelujah's back like a pair of sledgehammers.

He didn't expect however that Allelujah would suddenly stop at his tracks and responds to his attack by throwing himself back up and deflects both of Ali's fists by swinging his right arm.

Allelujah yells one last time as he grabs Ali's right arm with his claw. As he turns around in a circle, he lifts Ali up from the ground and swings him through the air as if he was a rag doll. When Allelujah faces back to the front, he tosses his opponent over his shoulder and slams him onto the ground and over the edge of the mat.

As Allelujah breathes heavily, Ali could only stare blankly at the sky as he lies on the ground, coming to realize that he is out of the mat.

When the judge rings the bell, the spectators erupted with yells, cheers and applause. A huge smile takes form on Allelujah's face as he releases Ali's arm. He turns to the crowd and sees every member of the audience cheering for him.

" _HERE IS YOUR WINNER…"_  The announcer began exclaiming, unable to contain his enthusiasm.  _"AND YOUR NEW QITAL DIRE CHAMPION…ALLELUJAH HAPTISM!"_  He extends his hand out to Allelujah with wide eyes and a huge smile on his face.

"HE DID IT! HE WON!" Lucy squealed excitedly as she claps her hands and jumps up and down in joy.

"YEEEEESSSSSS!" Darren yelled as he and Alicia pump their fists into the air.

"HE DID IT!" Alicia shouted as well with a huge smile on her face.

"He did it…" Marie uttered as a smile slowly appears on her face. "My husband has won!"

"YAAAAAAAAY!" Happy and Carla both squealed as they wave their arms and legs in the air happily.

"Alright Allelujah!" Sheena cried happily as she, Erza, Wendy, Estelle, Judith and Yuri clap their hands.

"Well done, Allelujah!" Erza shouted with a wide smile.

"Good job!" Judith cried.

"You deserve it!" Yuri yelled.

"Congratulations!" Estelle added.

"ALRIGHT!" Natsu shouted with joy as he and Gray pump their fists into the air.

"YEAH!" Gray yelled ecstatically. But soon, both boys realized something. They turn their heads and see their free arms wrapped around their upper backs and their hands placed on each other's shoulders. Natsu and Gray glare at each other as they remove their arms and place their hands on the sides of their hips. They turn away from each other and remain silent as if nothing had happened between them.

As Wendy claps her hands, Karol cried with his arms spread out and his eyes pooled with tears of joy, "He won! I can't believe it!" Much to Wendy's surprise, Karol turns and wraps his arms around her, gathering her into a tight embrace and began sobbing on her shoulder.

Wendy laughed as she felt her cheeks blushing. "I know! I'm so happy too!" She said as she hugs Karol and pats on his back.

Marie smiled as tears continue flowing down her cheeks. She began clapping her hands and shouted with joy, "You did it Allelujah! YOU DID IT!"

Allelujah removes his helmet and smiles back at his wife. He gave her a solemn nod before turning back to the spectators and waves his arm at them, embracing his euphoric moment of victory and triumph.

However, as Allelujah is enjoying the celebration, Ali slowly got up from the ground as he removes his helmet and tosses it to the side.

" _No…"_  Ali quivered with rage as his fists shook uncontrollably.  _"It can't end like this…"_

Ali whirled about and charges at Allelujah from behind as he pulls back his right arm, causing the spectators to gasp in horror and the entire area fell silent. Allelujah, noticing the horrified looks on their faces, turns and sees Ali preparing to attack him.

" _You're not a winner! YOU'RE NOTHING!"_  Ali roared.

When Ali is near Allelujah, he swings his right fist directly at his face. But before he could land his punch on him, Salem charges over to Ali and throws a punch at his left cheek, sending the defeated fighter rolling over the mat. When he lands on his back, Ali snaps his eyes open and lifts his head up. He wipes the left side of his lips with his hand and widens his eyes in horror as he looks at the blood on his fingers. Ali turns his head and sees Salem, Rafi, Mahdi, Fawaz, Nazrul and Reza glaring coldly at him as they place themselves in front of Allelujah.

" _Stay away from our champion."_  Salem said to Ali flatly.

Ali watched in shock and bewilderment as the six competitors turn around to Allelujah. They smiled as Rafi grabs Allelujah's hand and lifts it into the air, causing the spectators to cheer and applaud again.

"GO ALLELUJAH!" Natsu shouted ecstatically.

"YEAH!" Lucy, Gray, Wendy, Erza, Happy and Carla cheered for Allelujah again.

Allelujah turned as the official walks over to him with the championship belt over his shoulder. The two bow their heads to each other before the official hands Allelujah the belt. Allelujah removes his claw from his left gauntlet, setting it aside. He takes the belt, turns back to the spectators and lifts it up into the air with both hands. The spectators cheered louder in response.

"Allelujah!"

Allelujah lowers his belt and turns to his left to see Marie standing at the edge of the mat. A wide smile plasters across Marie's face as she stood there with tears welling up in her eyes. "You did it!" She said to him.

Allelujah smiles back at his wife as fresh tears are also forming in his own eyes. "We did it." He replied.

Marie rushes over to her husband and wraps her arms around him. Allelujah places his belt over his right shoulder and hugs his wife back for a brief moment as tears roll down their cheeks. After backing away from his wife, Allelujah bends his knees and holds up his left arm behind Marie's lower back, gesturing her to sit on it. Marie obliged and sets herself securely onto her husband's gauntlet. As Allelujah gets up, Marie hoots as he lifts her up and she burst out laughing as she finds herself up in the air while sitting on her husband's arm.

Marie leans forward and plants a kiss on Allelujah's forehead. The couple turns to the spectators and the crowd cheers again as Allelujah and Marie wave their hands at them.

As he and his friends watch and continue clapping their hands, a wide smile plasters across Darren's face, gazing blissfully at Allelujah as he enjoys his moment of triumph with his wife.

"You did it, Allelujah. I'm proud of you." He murmured.

* * *

The next day, after having their breakfast which Marie had cooked for them one last time, Darren and his friends stood outside of the boundaries of the campsite and bid farewell to Marie and Allelujah. The latter has a huge smile on his face as he carries his championship belt over his left shoulder. It is the happiest that Marie, Darren and his friends had ever seen of him.

"Thank you very much for the hospitality you had provided for the last few days." Lucy said as she and the others bow their heads to Marie and Allelujah.

"And thank you as well for everything you have done for us." Marie replied as she and Allelujah bow back.

As everyone lift their heads back up, Darren said to the couple, "Take good care of each other. You're lucky to have each other as your spouses."

"And I am lucky enough to have met and worked with you, Darren." Allelujah said to Darren. "All of you are welcome here anytime, because you will always find a friend in Azadistan."

Darren smiled at Allelujah. He walks up to his friend and they wrap their arms around each other in a warm embrace. After breaking away from their hug, Darren gave a pat on Allelujah's shoulder.

"Stay strong, and never forget what you're truly capable of." Darren said encouragingly.

"I don't think I will." Allelujah smirked and he pats Darren's shoulder as well. Darren chuckled in response. As he turns around, Darren waves his hand goodbye to him and Marie.

"Farewell, guys." Darren said.

"Goodbye!" Team Natsu, Brave Vesperia, Yuri and Sheena all said in unison as they turn and wave goodbye to the couple as well.

"See you!" Marie said happily as she and Allelujah wave back at them.

"Take care, my friends." Allelujah added.

As everyone walks away from the camp, Darren closes his eyes as he stuffs his hands into his pockets. "Okay, I know some of you are going to berate me for delaying our journey to Mizuho, but I really wanted to help someone in his time of need." He said.

When he didn't get a response for a few seconds, Darren reopens his eyes. He turns around and sees his friends standing behind and smiling at him.

"Guys?" Darren said.

"Nope. We're not angry at all." Sheena said.

"It's nice of you to spend the last few days helping and training Allelujah. Now, he is a stronger and more confident man than ever before, thanks to you." Erza said as she walks over and places her hand on Darren's right shoulder.

"I gotta admit, you were pretty awesome being his trainer." Yuri commented with a smirk as Natsu walks up to Darren.

"And that's why we are proud to have you with us!" Natsu said with a wide grin as he places his hand on Darren's left shoulder. Lucy, Gray, Wendy, Happy, Carla, Alicia, Karol, Judith and Estelle all nod their heads in agreement.

"Really? You guys think so?" Darren said incredulously as he looks at his friends.

"Yup." Alicia nods her head as she smiles at Darren. "Allelujah isn't the only person who should be reminded of what he's truly capable of. You too."

A warm smile appears on Darren's face as he looks back at Alicia. "Thank you." He replied softly. Alicia giggled in response.

Darren turns his head to Natsu and asked, "So Natsu, which way is it to Mizuho?"

"Umm…" Natsu responded. The others gasped as they watched Natsu desperately searching through his clothes for the map in horror.

"Natsu!" Erza cried. "Don't tell me you lost-"

"Oh, it's here!" Natsu said as he takes out the map from his right pocket and laughed. The others sigh heavily in relief as Natsu unfolds the map. He takes a good look at the map for a while and replied, "Mizuho is northwest from where we're currently at."

"Then let's get going!" Karol ordered everyone.

"Alright!" Natsu responded with a grin as he folds his map. As everyone continue their journey, Lucy walks up to him and snatches the map from his hand, much to his surprise.

"This time, I'll hold onto the map, thank you." Lucy said flatly and she puts the map into her pocket.

"Fine." Natsu replied as he turns around and places his hands behind his head.

Marie laughed cheerfully as she and her husband watch their friends walk away from the camp. "They are such a wonderful group of light-hearted people, aren't they?" Marie asked as she turns to Allelujah.

Allelujah glances at Marie in confusion for moment before looking up and rubbing his chin to ponder. A few moments, he nods his head as a smile appears on his face. "Aye!"


	15. Grievances, Part 1

Inside his office room, Alexei is sitting behind his wooden desk doing his paperwork. That is until he heard a knock on the door. Alexei closes the file and stood up from his chair before calling out to the people behind the door.

"Come in." He announced. The door opens and both Mala Makra and Eleanor Hume enter their superior's room. After Eleanor closes the door behind her, she and Mala stand straight and salute to the commandant.

"Captain Mala Makra, reporting for duty, sir." Mala said.

"Lieutenant Eleanor Hume, reporting for duty, Commandant Alexei." Eleanor said.

"At ease." Alexei said flatly. The two praetors lower their hands. "I called you here because I have a mission for the both of you."

"What are your orders, sir?" Eleanor asked with her eyes furrowed.

"I'm assigning the two of you to Loegres. According to Scout Squad 34, they say that the representatives of Fairy Tail and Brave Vesperia who thwarted our invasion of Hargeon are heading towards Port Zekson."

"Port Zekson? That city is just twenty-five miles away from Loegres, right?" Eleanor asked.

"Correct." Mala Makra said to Eleanor. "We would have conquered both cities during our conquest, if it weren't for the Rune Knights who manage to reach Port Zekson first before we do. It makes sense that our enemy would now take refuge in that city."

"And what do they hope to achieve going there? Are they planning to invade Loegres just like what they did back at Hargeon?" Eleanor asked as she clenches her fists.

"That is for you and Captain Makra to find out." Alexei replied. Eleanor lowers her head and grimaced. "Once you arrive at Loegres, you will be joined by Captain Nullpudding where he will explain to you more about our counterattack against the Rune Knights stationed at Port Zekson. Dismissed."

* * *

Mala and Eleanor walk down the hallway of the Abbey headquarters, the latter still kept a scowl on her face. Mala turns to the young woman and said, "Eleanor Hume, I know you are eager to avenge the now deceased Velvet Crowe, but you will still follow your superiors' orders instead of acting rashly in battle."

"I know, Captain Makra. But you don't understand. I looked up to Lieutenant Velvet Crowe. She showed care and understanding to me and the other praetors despite her cold demeanor, and yet the accursed guilds Fairy Tail and Brave Vesperia killed her mercilessly. The guilds are just as malicious and arrogant as the Magic Council." Eleanor said icily as they keep walking. "That is why I swore upon my promotion to Lieutenant that I will avenge Lieutenant Crowe and make Fairy Tail and Brave Vesperia pay by any means necessary."

"Don't let your fury cloud your judgment too much, Eleanor Hume. This is what caused Velvet's downfall as well." Mala said flatly. Eleanor turns her head and glares at him.

"You don't seem concerned over Lieutenant Crowe's…" Eleanor paused for a moment to take a gulp and maintain her composure. "Lieutenant Crowe's death."

"Soldiers aren't supposed to be overwhelmed by emotion. That is how we stay vigilant and keep fighting until our dying breath." Mala replied.

"But even still, surely you have some shock over the death of a subordinate whom you fought alongside with!" Eleanor cried.

"Velvet and I were never friends. In fact, now that she is gone, there will be less distractions and more motivation for us to fight harder." Mala responded.

Eleanor growls through her gritted teeth before turning back to her front. "You just don't understand the bond between comrades."

"And I'll never have to." Mala said coldly.

* * *

Team Natsu, Brave Vesperia, Yuri, Darren and Sheena arrived at Port Zekson earlier this morning and are currently resting in the city's inn. Port Zekson is a small city located beside the Spiegel River, which is what Team Natsu and the others need to cross to continue their journey to Mizuho. However, Yuri warned everyone that only twenty five miles away from Port Zekson is their sister city known as Loegres which fell into Abbey occupation shortly after Darren's arrival to Earth Land. Knowing that they will need to think of a strategy to pass through the Abbey's forces and the fact that they can't continue their journey on foot for the time being due to the possibility of patrolling praetors in the area beyond Port Zekson, Team Natsu and the others decided to stay in the city for now. However, as soon as they arrive at the small city, they immediately came across their biggest gripe.

"Man, this town seriously reeks of fish!" Lucy cried as she, Wendy and Sheena cover their noses.

"Yeah, I don't know how long I can control my stomach before I eventually throw up." Sheena added as she uses one hand to clutch her stomach.

"I like it." Happy said with a dumb smile.

"You would." Carla muttered as she stood next to him.

Team Natsu and the others are currently standing around the inn's lower floor. They look around and notice the grim and miserable looks on everyone's faces as they sit around the inn's lounge and dining tables. Most of them have their mouths covered with disposable masks.

"Looks like we aren't the only ones who think the smell of this town is awful." Estelle said.

"We really do apologize for that." One of the inn's employees said apologetically as she walks up to them. "Our city's economy heavily relies on fish we catch at the Spiegel River every day. Or used to, since the dam that operates the river had been closed for two months now. Because of that, the water level of the river is decreasing and becoming polluted. Our fishermen aren't allowed to leave the city as well because our sister city, Loegres, where the dam is located, is under Abbey control."

"Why am I not surprised that the Abbey is the cause of all this misery?" Gray said as he folds his arms.

' _Closed for two months? That means I've been in this world for two months now.'_  Darren thought to himself somberly.

"Port Zekson would have fallen to the Abbey's hands as well if it weren't for the Rune Knights. We were happy and relieved at first, until the Abbey decided to pressure us by closing the dam, thus causing the current state of the river which greatly affects our economy and livelihood. We aren't allowed to leave the city as well due to reports from the Rune Knights that the Abbey's soldiers are kidnapping civilians across Earth Land. And because we can't leave by land and sea, all the fish we caught ended up being left here, and eventually their stench polluted the entire city." The employee explained.

The members of Team Natsu turn to each other. They frown and nod their heads solemnly, knowing what they had to do to not only continue their journey to Mizuho, but to also help the townspeople of Port Zekson regain their livelihood. Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Wendy, Erza, Happy and Carla turn back to the employee.

"Don't worry, ma'am. In case you don't know, we are members of the guild known as Fairy Tail, and we're going to help you chase the Abbey out of Loegres and give you all back your freedom." Natsu said to the employee.

"Aye!" Karol suddenly spoke up. The employee turns to the boy as he jabs his thumb onto his chest. "And we're Brave Vesperia! We're going to help your city as well! By um…working alongside Fairy Tail!" Karol finishes by flashing a grin at the employee. Judith, Alicia and Estelle nod their heads as they stood behind him.

"If all of you are going up against the Abbey, I suggest going to the city hall and speak with our Mayor and the person in charge of the Rune Knights stationed here first." The employee suggested.

* * *

Team Natsu, Brave Vesperia, Darren, Sheena and Yuri walk through the city of Port Zekson, all of them covering their noses and mouths as they make their way to the city hall. When they arrive at the city square, they look around and see the merchants looking miserable as they stood behind their stalls while wearing disposable masks. Because of the stench and the town being overloaded with fish, very little people are walking around the town buying any food and supplies. Most of them would rather stay inside their homes to avoid the awful stench that fills up the city. Even the Rune Knights are sulking as they patrol the area.

"Man, this is terrible." Natsu remarked.

"We better help the town take care of this problem quick." Alicia added.

"Um, where's Happy?" Wendy asked as she and Carla look around. But soon enough, they spotted Happy standing in front of a nearby stall.

"Excuse me sir? How much is a single fish?" Happy asked the merchant operating the stall.

"You know what? Keep your money and just take them! I'm sick of seeing my baskets piled up with fish for the last two months!" The merchant cried at the exceed.

"Really? Alright!" Happy squealed as he immediately grabs a fish from a basket. Team Natsu and the others gasped and widen their eyes in horror, and they are too late to do anything before Happy quickly sinks his teeth onto the fish.

Suddenly, Happy's eyes nearly bulged out from their sockets and the color of his skin drained as he felt the awful taste of the rotten fish that he had took a bite out of. Immediately, Happy tosses the fish aside and flies off to the city's fountain located in the middle of the square.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK A FISH THAT HAS BEEN OUT IN THE SUN FOR THE LAST TWO MONTHS IS GOING TO TASTE LIKE, YOU MORON?!" Carla shouted to Happy who is hastily rinsing his tongue and mouth with the water from the fountain.

"Hey Mayor! How much longer do we have to deal with this?!"

When they heard someone yelling, Team Natsu and the others immediately turn their heads and see two men yelling at an old man who is standing in front of the entrance to a rather large white building.

"Men, please. I already told you two before." The mayor said to them pleadingly. "The Rune Knights are-"

"Are NOT doing anything! Because of them, we are trapped inside here in this stinking town!" One man who is bald snapped at the mayor.

"We're sick and tired of catching and eating fish to get by every day and we can't even go outside and hunt for other animals!" The other man who has short black hair added.

"That's enough!" A woman barked at them as she, accompanied by three other Rune Knights, walks over to them. The woman has blonde hair and green eyes. She is dressed in a blue beret, a blue dress with a large white vertical stripe in the middle of it, blue long sleeves held by two large metal armbands with red strings, white gloves, long black stockings, and blue and white boots with yellow highlights. "How many times do I have to remind you two to stop harassing your mayor who is only doing his job?"

"And who the heck do you think you are to boss us around?" The bald man replied angrily at the woman. "You don't even belong here in the first place!"

"Yeah. You may be a Rune Knight, but if you and the Magic Council are so good, you would have chased the Abbey out of Loegres by now!" The black-haired man added.

"Now our town reeks of dead fish for the last two months because of you!" The bald man yelled at the woman as he points his finger accusingly at her. The two men gave cold glares to the woman and her knights before they turn and walk off.

"Are you alright?" The woman asked the mayor.

"I'm fine but admittedly, even I'm starting to lose my patience over this situation." The mayor said, frowning at her. "I don't know how much longer I can deal with this." The mayor turns around and walks back into the building.

The woman frowns and sighs sadly while one of the knights behind her walks over and places her hand on her shoulder. The knight has chin-length chestnut brown hair, hazel eyes and wears a black beret, a black uniform dress, black and orange gloves, black stockings and orange boots. Her most distinguishable features of her appearance though are that she has squirrel-like ears and a large bushy tail.

"Don't let them get to ya, Noel." The brown-haired woman said to the blonde.

"What am I supposed to do, Makoto?" Noel said sadly as she lowers her head and places her hands on the sides of her hip.

"That woman…she is a demihuman." Judith said as she stares at the brown-haired woman now as known as Makoto.

"Demihuman?" Darren asked curiously.

"Aye. Demihumans are a sub-race of us humans, except they have features that we normal humans don't have. Like Judith here and one of Erza's friends named Millianna." Natsu explained. He turns his head away for a moment and scratches the back of his head as he whispered to himself, "Gee, I hope I didn't sound racist with that explanation."

"No offense taken." Judith replied to Natsu. The pink-haired mage gasped in response.

"Excuse me. Are you the Rune Knight in charge of this town?" Erza asked as she and Karol approach Noel and the brown-haired girl.

Noel groans before she and her friend turn to Erza. "Yes, and if you are here to express your grievances like every person in this city, I already told you that we are trying everything we can to deal with the Abbey. We just hadn't received any orders from our superiors at the capital yet on how to handle the situation at Loegres." She responded.

"Well, we can't stay in this city for too long and we desperately need to cross the Spiegel River, so why don't you let us handle the Abbey stationed in Loegres for you?" Erza suggested.

Makoto gasped in realization. "Noel! I know who this woman is now! It's Erza Scarlet of Fairy Tail!" She said to her friend.

"What? THE Erza Scarlet at the Grand Magic Games two years ago?!" Noel's eyes widen in astonishment.

"Um, yeah. That's…me." Erza said, staring back at the two women in confusion.

Makoto squealed as she clasps her hands together. She rushes over to Erza and cried enthusiastically right in front of her face, "I'm such a big fan of you after watching you at the tournament back then! You are so awesome fighting Kagura of Mermaid Heel, Minerva of Sabretooth and even a hundred monsters all by yourself!"

"T-t-thanks." Erza managed to reply as she nervously looks back at Makoto who continues staring straight into her eyes with glee.

Makoto turns her head and gasp upon seeing the other members of Team Natsu. "And those guys must be Natsu Dragneel, Gray Fullbuster, Lucy Heartfilia and Wendy Marvell!" She cried while pointing her finger at each of them as she announces their name.

"Y-yup, that's us." Wendy said as she, Natsu, Lucy and Gray smile back at her.

Makoto sighs blissfully as she throws her head back and lets her arms hang limply at her sides. "I don't what else to say…I'm on ecstasy right now." She said as Erza inches away from her.

Natsu snickered as he places his hands at the sides of his hip. "Who knew we even have fans within the Magic Council, huh?" He said.

"I say she is embarrassing herself, especially when she is in uniform." Alicia arches an eyebrow at the demihuman.

Noel coughed, causing Makoto to stand straight and regain her composure. "Yes, as you can see, my friend is a big fan of your guild and she is clearly very happy to see you all here." Noel said while Makoto nods her head frantically with a goofy smile. "And yes, we are very fortunate to have you helping us deal with the Abbey."

"And we're helping out too!" Karol exclaimed. "I'm Karol Capel!" He introduced himself to Noel and Makoto before gesturing to Alicia, Estelle and Judith. "And along with my friends, we are the guild known as Brave Vesperia!"

Noel and Makoto remain silent as they stare at the boy. "What's that?" Makoto commented as she stares at him in confusion. Karol hangs his head and his arms hang limply at his sides as he felt disheartened by her response.

"They don't know us…" Karol whimpered.

Erza sighs heavily and turns back to the two women. "They are friends of ours, and have been very helpful to us throughout our journey." She said.

"That's nice to know. I guess the more the merrier." Makoto smiled at Erza.

"So how exactly are we going to deal with the Abbey?" Lucy asked as she, Natsu, Gray, Wendy, Happy, Carla and Darren walk over to Erza, Noel and Makoto.

"There are several boats in the pier. We can use one of them to sail through the river and sneak our way towards the pier at Loegres." Noel explained as she walks over to Makoto's side. "Then once we are in the city, we gotta make our way to the dam, find the control room and open it up. That will raise the water level and the river will be flowing freely again."

"We? Does this mean you are coming along?" Darren asked Noel.

"Yes." Noel nods her head somberly. "Unfortunately, those two men were right. We are partly responsible for the current situation that the people of this city are in right now." She narrows her eyes and places her hand on her chest. "And as the person in charge of the Rune Knights stationed in Port Zekson, it is my duty to make things right."

"Then let's work together to help the people of this city gain back their freedom." Erza said to Noel solemnly.

"Great. One of our knights here will drive the boat towards Loegres for all of us." Noel said as she gestures to one of her knights standing behind her and Makoto. She is a woman dressed in a black cape with a black hood that conceals her eyes, a purple long-sleeved dress, black gloves and black high-heel shoes.

"I'll provide whatever help I can." The hooded woman nods her head to her superiors and Team Natsu.

"I'll come along with you guys." Makoto smiled as she places her fists at the sides of her hip. "I'm not only her second-in-command, but when it comes to covert missions like this; I'm the right person for the job. Besides…" She grins playfully as she goes up to Erza and places her hand on her shoulder. "I really want to know more about you along the way, Titania."

"Uh-huh, yeah. T-that sounds great." Erza replied uneasily.

"But madams," The fourth Rune Knight interrupted, speaking up to Noel and Makoto. "If the both of you are going with them, who will take care of the city? After what happened between the mayor and those two men, it's highly likely something similar will happen again during your absence."

Everyone was silent for a moment before Erza turns to Gray, Wendy and Carla. "Gray, Wendy, Carla, will you stay here and take care of the city while we're gone?" She asked.

"Sure thing, Erza." Wendy said as she, Carla and Gray nod their heads.

"You can count on us." Gray added.

"I'll stay here too. There may be people who have fallen ill from the stench. So I'll attend to them." Estelle said to Karol.

"Very well then." Karol nods his head in agreement.

"I'll stay as well." Yuri smirked as he cracks his knuckles. "I've dealt with people who act like those two guys many times before. If any sort of violence breaks out here, I'll personally deal with it."

"Thanks Yuri." Darren smirked as he nods his head to him.

"Then I guess the ones who will be taking on this mission are you, me, Natsu, Happy, Lucy, Karol, Alicia and Judith." Darren said to Erza.

"That's right." Erza nods her head to Darren. Natsu, Happy, Lucy, Karol, Alicia and Judith nodded as well.

Sheena, who stood beside Yuri, narrows her eyes at them before she suddenly stomps her foot and yells at them, "Hey! Aren't you forgetting someone?!"

"Sheena?" Darren said puzzled as Sheena strides over to them.

"I wish to come too! I don't want to stay put and do nothing while you guys are risking your lives infiltrating an enemy base." Sheena said as she folds her arms.

Darren smiled at her and said, "Very well then, you can come along with us."

"Welcome aboard, Sheena." Lucy said, nodding her head to her. Sheena nods back to her before turning her head away from the others and frown.

"Thank you so much for all of your help." Noel said before chuckling. "But that reminds me, we haven't even introduced ourselves yet."

"I'm Lieutenant Makoto Nanaya! Nice to meetcha!" Makoto grins as she extends her hand out to Erza.

"Nice to meet you too." Erza shakes her hand. "I guess."

After Makoto removes her hand, it is Noel's turn to extend her hand out to Erza for a handshake. "And my name is Lieutenant Noel Vermillion." Noel said.

Darren and the members of Team Natsu gasp in surprise. "Vermillion?!" They cried in unison.

"Huh?" Noel stares at them blankly. Darren and Team Natsu look at each other for a moment before turning back to her.

"Is there any chance that you are related to someone named…Mavis Vermillion?" Natsu asked.

Noel frowns at them in confusion. "No, I don't even know who she is, besides the fact that we happen to have the same last name." She shakes her head in response.

"Oh…" Natsu said sadly as he, his teammates and Darren sigh inwardly.

"Is there something I should know?" Noel asked.

"Never mind. It's okay." Erza smiled reassuringly as she shakes her head. She grabs Noel's hand and shakes it. "Nice to meet you, Noel Vermillion."


	16. Grievances, Part 2

Natsu, Lucy, Erza, Happy, Darren, Karol, Judith, Alicia, Sheena, Noel and Makoto sail through the Spiegel River on a small fishing boat driven by the hooded Rune Knight. While the hooded knight sat at the back controlling the motor engine, the others sat at both sides of the boat and looking to the front as they sail closer to their destination.

As Natsu sat at the front of the boat, the Fire Dragon Slayer turns to the river, leans forward and gags uncontrollably. Lucy and Happy rub their hands on Natsu's back to comfort him while the others cringe as they watch them silently.

"Hang in there, Natsu. We're almost there." Happy said to his friend in concern.

"Yeah, and especially since this is a covert mission, we need to be as quiet as possible!" Lucy chided softly to Natsu. After letting out the contents, Natsu looks back at Lucy with his face distorted with pain and misery.

"I'm sorry Lucy. No matter how long since we've been travelling together, I can never get used to transportation." Natsu groaned.

Lucy sighed heavily. "You think by now, you would get used to this. Very well, if you can stop puking and remain quiet for the rest of the journey, the faster we can finish the mission and return back to Port Zekson and have as much food as you want for our reward."

"Really?" Natsu asked weakly.

"Yup." Lucy reassured him with a warm smile. Natsu sits back up straight and takes a deep breath.

"Very well then, I'll try." Natsu said with a solemn frown on his face and his clenched fists placed on his thighs.

"That's the spirit." Lucy grins at him.

"Wow, I'm amazed that's all it took to get him to stop feeling sick." Noel said in amusement.

"They really are close to each other." Sheena said to her.

"It's true. Natsu and Happy are the first Fairy Tail members whom Lucy personally meet after all, and they have remain close friends ever since." Erza explained.

"Yeah, close. But not too close if you know what I mean." Lucy said to the others, chuckling nervously as she twirls her fingers.

"You two also seem pretty capable in battle when fighting together." Alicia pointed out.

"I guess you can say that." Lucy smiled at her.

"Even though when Lucy first started out with these kinds of missions, Natsu usually had to save her when she is in dan-MPFH!" Happy gets cut off when Lucy swiftly places her hand over his mouth. Happy's voice is muffled under her hand while Lucy's cheeks blushed crimson.

"That is enough! No more words out of your mouth for the rest of this journey!" Lucy cried softly at the exceed before looking up at Natsu. "Natsu! Do something about your friend!" The Fire Dragon Slayer remains silent as he sat where he is, not moving a single muscle at all. "Well?!"

"Must…remain…quiet…" Natsu murmured as he barely moves the side of his lips. Lucy groans as she hangs her head.

Makoto sighs blissfully at Lucy and Natsu before turning to Noel and giving her a gentle nudge on the arm with her elbow, "This reminds me how close we are ever since we first met each other, eh Noel?"

"Yeah, kinda." Noel chuckled in response.

"What do you mean?" Erza asked the two knights.

"Well, Makoto and I first met and known each other at the Rune Knight Academy a year ago. We both studied together in the same class, but we didn't interact with each other initially during our first few days. But one day, when I arrived at the academy, I saw Makoto being bullied by other students just for being a demihuman." Noel explained.

"An overwhelming majority of the Rune Knights are humans after all, and after the Tartaros incident two years ago, a lot of humans across Earth Land distrust demihumans now." Makoto said grimly.

"That's true." Lucy said with a frown.

"It isn't fair that just because the members of Tartaros weren't humans doesn't mean other demihumans should be blame for what happened as well." Erza added.

Noel nods her head in agreement before she continued, "Makoto had never done anything wrong in the academy, so I can't just let the other students bully her all they want. So I stepped in and tell them to get lost."

Suddenly, Makoto wraps her arms around Noel and embraces her friend tightly. "I remembered that moment so well. How I was crying so much from all those mean comments said by those bullies and how badass you were when you stand up to them!" Makoto said melodramatically as tears roll down her cheeks like tiny rivers. Noel chuckled sheepishly as she turns her head away for a moment.

"Heheheh, yeah." Noel murmured as she pats Makoto's back to comfort her friend. She looks back at the other occupants of the boat and continued, "Anyways, both Makoto and I became friends ever since then and we both work really hard together to graduate from the academy and become proper knights."

"Standing up for people who are in need of help." Darren murmured as he looks down on the wooden floor of the boat for a moment. "That's great."

After releasing Noel and sitting up straight, Makoto wipes away her tears and explained to everyone, "Upon our graduation, we overheard that one of the top students in the academy, Captain Nolan Mathias, has formed his own commando squad known as the Faction. I was pretty envious over the idea, so I urge Noel that we should form a squad of our own, even though we are only lieutenants."

"Ah, a rivalry with the Faction, eh?" Darren asked, looking back up at Noel and Makoto with a small smirk.

"Sorta." Noel shrugged.

"Yup." Makoto abruptly said at the same time, pouting at Darren.

Noel turns to her friend and cried softly as she stares at her in bewilderment, "Makoto!"

"I admire the fact that you stood up for Makoto that day, even though she isn't a member of the same race as you. Thank you." Judith said to Noel, bowing her head to her with gratitude.

"You're welcome." Noel replied to Judith with her cheeks blushing while Makoto gave her a cheerful grin.

"You know, I've also been wondering, how did you become a member of Brave Vesperia in the first place, Judith?" Lucy asked Judith.

Judith frowns deeply as she lowers her head. Lucy's smile quickly turns into a worried frown before saying to her in concern, "I'm sorry. If you-"

"It's okay." Judith replied, looking back up at Lucy with a reassuring smile as she pushes a strand of hair away from her eyes. "But yeah, it's something I don't want to talk about right now."

"Well, how about we-" Sheena tried to speak and change the subject, but was interrupted by the hooded knight.

"I suggest we should all quiet down now." The hooded knight advised everyone present on the boat. "We are almost near the pier of Loegres."

Sheena groans before she and the others turn their heads back to the front of the boat and barely see a gigantic horizontal line of white walls in the distance. In the middle of the structure is a large pair of gray stone doors that had been shut. The currents of the river splashed against the walls as the water is unable to flow through the now occupied walled city.

"It's time." Makoto advised everyone. Everybody on the boat except the hooded knight quickly got out their blankets from underneath their seats and draped them over their heads.

"Alright, do not move a single muscle." Noel whispered to everyone. The others nod their heads to her before they lean forward and conceal themselves under the blankets. The hooded knight made sure her cape conceals her dress before approaching the pier.

On the pier, four praetors are chatting among each other while clinging onto their spears. They cut off their conversation when they hear the sound of a fishing boat approaching their location. The praetors look at each other suspiciously before walking over to the edge of the pier just as the boat came to a halt.

"Excuse me but who are you?" One of the praetors inquired the hooded knight.

"I'm a merchant. Sorry if I'm trespassing but I wish to continue my travels northwards." The hooded knight explained innocently before gesturing to the blankets in front of her. "As you can see, I'm trying to deliver my goods, and travelling through the Spiegel River is-"

"Completely prohibited. Show us your face and tell us where exactly are you heading or you will be annihilated." The praetor demanded as he and the other three point their spears threateningly at the hooded knight.

Unbeknownst to them, the hooded knight placed her arm underneath Noel's blanket and gave a four-finger gesture in front of her face, followed by swiping a finger in the air horizontally.

"Four enemies…all armed with spears." Noel whispered to the others.

"On it." Erza, Natsu and Happy all said in unison.

"Very well." The hooded knight replied to the praetors before she swiftly removes her arm from underneath the blanket and extends her hand out at them. She creates an orb of blue energy from her palm and fires at the praetor who questioned her. The blast hits him in the chest, sending him flying through the air and landing on the ground with a thud.

"We're under-AH!" Just as one of the praetors tried to call for help, Happy flies out from the blankets and throws himself onto the front of his helmet, causing him to drop his spear. Meanwhile, Erza and Natsu also remove their blankets off of them as they stood up and throw their fists into the faces of the other two praetors, knocking them to the ground.

"Get off of me, vermin!" The praetor yelled as he successfully grabs Happy and tosses him aside. But as he looks back to his front, the praetor finds himself staring at Natsu, growling through his gritted teeth as he glares at him.

"Who are you calling vermin, vermin?" Natsu said, quivering with rage. The praetor gulps just before Natsu swings both of his fists at the sides of the praetor's helmet. The praetor sways side to side before he slumps onto the ground and slips into unconsciousness.

The others got out of the boat and Darren, Lucy, Alicia and Sheena quickly drag the unconscious praetors over to a nearby bush. The four stack them onto each other in a pile before they turn around and regroup with the others.

"I'll stay here to watch over the boat. Once you reopen the dam, I'll come looking for you all inside the city." The hooded knight said to Noel and the others.

"Don't forget to keep in touch with us." Makoto said as she and Noel hold up their lacrima orbs. The hooded knight nods her head in response as she holds up her own.

"Thank you, Medea." Noel said to the hooded knight with a small smile.

The hooded knight puts away her lacrima and removes her hood, revealing her blue eyes and long light blue hair. "You're welcome. Now go, the liberation of Loegres and Port Zekson awaits." Medea responded to Noel and Makoto. Makoto and Noel nod back to Medea before they turn around to the others.

"Let's get started." Makoto proclaimed as she proceeds to remove her black beret and tosses it aside. Afterwards, she removes her black uniform dress, revealing what she was actually wearing underneath it. Darren, Natsu and Karol widen their eyes as they gawk at her. The clothing that Makoto was wearing all along consists of an orange top with a wide black vertical stripe that only covers the upper half of her bosom, black strap panties that are covered by an orange skirt-like cloth around her lower section, black stockings and orange boots. Makoto strokes back the two long cowlick strands of hair on her head before raising her arms and magically summons two metal tonfas, now strapped around her black and orange gloves.

When she lowers her arms, Makoto looks back at the boys and stare at them in confusion. "Something wrong?" She asked as she moves her hip to the side.

"First Judith and now her. I guess there are two similarities all female demihumans share. They all wear gorgeous outfits and have big large brea-OW!" Darren suddenly yelled in pain and agony when Alicia and Sheena deliver hard punches onto the back of his head. Erza, Lucy, Noel and Medea all shook their heads while Judith suppresses her chuckling.

As Darren bends forward and kept his head down, Alicia and Sheena cried at him in unison, "KEEP YOUR THOUGHTS TO YOURSELF!"

* * *

Shortly after leaving the pier, Natsu, Lucy, Erza, Happy, Darren, Karol, Judith, Alicia, Sheena, Noel and Makoto quietly rush over to the wall. When they all place themselves against the wall, Noel and Judith kneel down and hold out their hands, gesturing Makoto and Sheena to climb onto them.

Makoto and Sheena place their foot on top of them and Noel and Judith push them up to the ledge of the wall as they stood up. Makoto and Sheena quickly wrap their arms over the ledge and bring their legs up as they climb over the wall. Natsu, Karol and Darren whirl about and turn their sights away from them as they do.

"Yeah, I think it's best if the guys go after them." Lucy said to Erza and Alicia as they frown suspiciously at them. Erza and Alicia go over to Natsu and Darren and push them over to Noel and Judith. The two men proceed to climb onto the hands of Noel and Judith, allowing the two women to push up them to the ledge of the wall.

Meanwhile, after climbing over the ledge, Makoto and Sheena land down on the ground and the former stealthily walk over to a nearby praetor who was standing there and moving her head side to side. When she got near her, Makoto gets up and wraps her arm around the praetor's neck. The praetor struggles to break free but Makoto quickly brings down her tonfa down on her head, knocking her unconscious. Makoto carefully places the unconscious praetor down on the floor before she turns around and sees Sheena, Natsu, Darren, Karol, Lucy, Erza, Alicia, and Noel behind her. A few seconds later, Happy flies down and gently places Judith on the ground before unwrapping his tail around her waist.

Makoto gestures them to follow her and they make their way through the city of Loegres, first by entering into the backdoor of a bakery which is right in front of them. After leaving the kitchen and maneuvering through the dining area, they head over to the large glass window and hide under it.

Makoto pokes her head out and turns to her left. She sees two patrolling praetors with spears walking together through the empty streets of Loegres and heading towards her direction. She ducks down and hides under the shadows, slowly turning her head to the right as she stealthily watches the two praetors walk pass her and the bakery. As she looks to her right, she spots another praetor with a crossbow standing at the balcony of a building at the opposite side of the bakery. Makoto turns to Noel who is kneeling beside her.

"Three praetors. Two patrolling and one on a balcony at the opposite side." Makoto reported to her. Noel nods her head before she stands up and walks over to the glass door. She extends out her hands and magically summons two white oversized revolvers. After grabbing hold of the hilts of her revolvers, she aims one of them at the metal lock on the door and fires a shot. The shot is greatly muffled as it destroys the lock. Noel quickly lifts her leg up and kicks the lock before it hits the ground, sending it flying over to Makoto who catches it with her hands.

Noel uses her leg to slowly open the door. She steps out of the bakery and quickly fires two muffled shots with her revolvers at the two praetors walking down the road. The praetors yelp as they felt the back of their heads being hit by the force of a sledgehammer, and they both pass out as they slump onto the road.

"Huh?!" The praetor at the balcony cried as she quickly turns to Noel and aims her crossbow at her. But Noel swiftly lifts her left revolver up and fires another muffled shot at her forehead. The shot knocks her out and sends her collapsing on the floor.

"Hey you!" A praetor shouted. Noel whirled about and sees four praetors running towards her with their swords. She also spots one of the praetors taking out his lacrima orb and attempting to contact reinforcements. But as if time had slowed down for her, Noel swiftly holds up her revolver and takes a good look at the four advancing praetors. In just two seconds, Noel fires four muffled shots at the praetors horizontally and sends all of them collapsing onto the ground. As the now unconscious praetor drops his lacrima orb, it rolls over to Noel who brings her leg up and stomps on it, crashing it to bits.

Noel dematerializes her revolvers and turns to the bakery, gesturing the others to come out. Team Natsu, Darren, Sheena, Brave Vesperia and Makoto step out of the building and walk over to Noel.

"Don't worry guys, they are non-lethal rounds." Noel smiled at them reassuringly.

Team Natsu, Brave Vesperia, Darren and Sheena look around the city streets. The buildings in Loegres are huge and beautifully built, yet the streets are eerily silent and devoid of life. Besides patrolling praetors, not a single person can be seen, even in the alleys and the small corners of the city.

"Is this normal here in Loegres? The streets are empty." Natsu said.

"It's not normal. Loegres was a bustling city before the Abbey arrived." Makoto replied.

"The civilians could be hiding inside their homes right now, so we must be in the middle of a curfew." Noel said.

"Most likely." Lucy nodded in agreement.

"We have to keep moving, everyone." Noel reminded the group. Everyone nod their heads before they follow her down the streets. They arrived at the middle of the city, where there is a drawbridge built over a large and deep river bed that separates the west and east sides of Loegres. They approach the metal fences lined along the sides of the river bed and widen their eyes at what is in front of them. Aside from some tiny puddles of water, the river bed is completely empty and dried up.

Erza pursed her lips and narrows her eyes as she tightens her grip around the fence. "Let's get down there and walk through the river bed. It will eventually take us to the dam." She said.

"Then stand back." Makoto said. Everyone obliged and back away from the metal fences. Makoto places herself between her friends and the fence. She charges over to the fence and a wave of energy engulfs her right tonfa as she pulls back her right arm. When she got near the fence, she throws her tonfa at it and destroys the fence, creating an opening for everyone to go through.

"Your turn, Alicia." Karol said to Alicia.

Alicia goes over to the opening Makoto had created and pulls out her yo-yos from her pouch. She kneels down and ties her yo-yos around one of the bars of the fence. After making sure the knot is tight, Alicia carefully lowers herself down to the bottom of the river bed. When her feet touched the ground, she loosens the knots around her fingers and looks back up to give Makoto a thumbs-up.

"Everybody, get down there." Makoto orders the others.

When everyone except Happy eventually climb down to the bottom of the river bed thanks to the strings of Alicia's yo-yos, the exceed unties the yo-yos around the bar of the fence and flies down to Alicia to return her weapons to her.

"Thank you." Alicia said to Happy as she takes the yo-yos from him and places them into her pouch.

"Aye." Happy responded.

"Alright everyone, stay close together as we keep moving forward." Erza advised her companions.

Everyone silently walk their way through the emptied river bed and head towards the direction of the dam. After a few minutes of travelling, the entire city suddenly turns dark; causing everyone to stop at their tracks as they now could hardly see what is ahead of them.

"Dammit, the praetors must have turned off the city lights. Probably a part of the curfew." Noel whispered with her eyes narrowed.

"We need some light though if we want to keep moving forward with caution." Lucy said softly. "Natsu, will you help us out on that?"

"Sure." Natsu said as he snaps his fingers and a small ray of fire magically appeared at his fingertips. Everyone watch as Natsu walks up to the front and leads the way. "Follow me guys."

"You're so awesome, Natsu. Thanks." Makoto smiled at Natsu. The Fire Dragon Slayer chuckled in response.

"He may not look bright, but he's still a valuable asset to the guild." Lucy said to Makoto.

"And he still has the intelligence and wisdom to teach me how to be a better fighter." Karol said to Makoto with a wide smile.

"And he also saved me from my corrupt boss in Underwood from being sold to the Abbey." Darren added.

"Hey, you helped me too back there, didn't you?" Natsu asked Darren with a smirk.

"Yeah, I did." Darren said with his eyes softened as he remembered what caused him to fight back the muscular thug and save Natsu back then.

"Hey, why the long face all of the sudden? At least you're with us now, right?" Natsu asked Darren cheerfully.

Darren looks back up and smiled at Natsu. "Yeah, you're right. I have lots of friends now, so I know that I'm no longer helpless." He said.

"That's right. Whatever happens, we're here for you." Lucy smiled at him while Erza, Happy, Alicia, Karol and Judith nod their heads.

Makoto sighs blissfully at the sight before saying softly to Noel, "True friendship is power. This is why I love Fairy Tail."

Sheena, who walked behind everyone, gave a wan smile at Darren as she nods her head. "Yeah, we're here for you." She said dully. Darren smiles back at the rest of Fairy Tail and Brave Vesperia before they all look back to their front. Unaware to everyone, Sheena frowns deeply as she turns her head away.

* * *

After walking through the river bed for over thirty minutes, everyone notice that the river bed is lightening up again as they keep moving forward. When they see another drawbridge ahead of them, Natsu extinguishes his flame and everyone rush over to it.

When they reach the bottom of the bridge, they quickly stop at their tracks and look up in awe to see a large tunnel in the distance. Mounted on the wall above the entrance are six large lanterns that illuminate the front of the tunnel. There are two praetors standing at each side of the entrance, armed with spears and swords.

"Hide!" Alicia cried softly. Everyone quickly go over to the side of the river bed and hide in the shadows underneath the bridge. Erza, Karol and Noel slightly lean forward to gaze at the entrance. A minute later, the three lean against the wall to hide under the shadows again and turn to the others.

"Alright, there are only four praetors guarding the entrance. But there are definitely more of them inside." Erza said to the others.

"Leave that to me. I'll take care of the guards." Makoto said as she raises her hand.

"Me too. Makoto and I will stealthily take them out." Judith said.

"Then once we're inside, Happy will go first." Erza said to Happy. "Fly around the interior and help us see how many praetors are inside, as well as their locations and any other interesting things that are happening in there."

"Aye!" Happy said as he salutes to Erza.

"Then after that, we'll plan out how we're going to take out the praetors that are inside the base." Erza said to the others.

"Alright! It's about time I'm able to bash some Abbey heads myself." Natsu grins as he cracks his knuckles.

"Ready to fight again, Darren?" Alicia asked Darren who draws out his katana.

"I look forward to it, and you should to." Darren responded with a smirk. Alicia chuckled as she pats on her pouch.

Sheena grits her teeth and shakes uncontrollably in frustration as she idly watches everyone discussing their plans among each other without her involvement. She can't handle this anymore. Despite joining them in missions, Sheena has always been left out from doing any actual important tasks for Fairy Tail and Brave Vesperia. For once, she just wants to prove to everyone that she can provide more assistance to her friends rather than just another generic fighter within the group.

"Okay." Judith said as she draws out her spear. "Let's get-"

Suddenly, much to everyone's surprise and shock, Sheena got out of the shadows and cried as she charges her way to the guards, "Stand back, everyone! I'll take care of them!"

"What?! Sheena, wait!" Erza cried in horror as she extends her hand out to Sheena, but it was too late. The four praetors at the tunnel raise their weapons and get into their battle stances as soon as they spot Sheena coming towards them.

"Halt!" One of the praetors at the left side shouted. But Sheena ignores him as she immediately jumps in the air and delivers a twirling kick to his head. After the guard collapses, Sheena goes over to the other side and punches another praetor in the gut.

"Why you-" The other praetor at the right side of the entrance aims her spear at Sheena, but she immediately throws a piece of paper at her face, blocking her vision. As the female guard struggles to remove the paper from the front of her helmet, Sheena turns around and sees the other praetor from the left side running over to her and swings his sword at her head.

Sheena ducks down in time and delivers an uppercut to the praetor's chin, sending him staggering backwards before he collapses onto the ground. When the female guard finally removes the paper from her helmet, she aims her spear at Sheena again. Sheena whirls about, kneels down on a knee and made several finger gestures. To the guard's horror, the paper which is still in her hand illuminates with bright light. She throws the paper into the air but it explodes in front of her face, causing her to stagger backwards before she collapses onto the ground and passes out.

"Ha, they were nothing." Sheena commented with a satisfied smirk. When the others rush over to the unconscious guard behind her, Sheena stood up, turns around and strokes her ponytail. "So, what do you guys…um…" She trails off when she sees a terrified looks on her friends' faces as they stare down at the motionless guard's body. "What's wrong?"

"It's an alarm orb." Lucy said, staring at the object in the guard's hand in fear.

"He must have triggered it while he was engaged in combat with Sheena." Karol uttered.

"They've been alerted." Darren said before everyone turns to Sheena.

Sheena widens her eyes in horror when she finally notices a small blinking red lacrima orb on the palm of the guard's hand. Realizing her error, all Sheena could say out of her mouth were two words.

"Oh crap."


	17. Grievances, Part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My heart goes out to Kyoto Animation. I hope they will be able to recover from their recent tragedy.

Meanwhile, a praetor cautiously walks over to the middle of an extensive area deep inside the dam. She took a moment to turn around and glance at her superiors and twenty other regular praetors who are standing several meters behind her before looking back to her front and lifts her head up to examine the gigantic 50-foot tall statue before her.

The statue made of granite is entirely dark grey, with the exception of its yellow diamond eyes. It is sculpted as a man with a beard and shoulder-length hair, dressed in a sleeveless armor and sitting on a chair that resembles a throne fit for a king. He also has two more arms sculpted on the upper section of his back and resting on top of his other arms. There is also a sword and a halberd placed on each side of his throne. But the features that the praetors who are present in the room are most intrigued with are four orbs sculpted on the chest plate of the statue's armor. One is lightened up but the other three remain dark.

The praetor removes her helmet, revealing her bright green eyes and dark blonde hair, tied to a side ponytail with a white and yellow flower. She kneels down on the floor, places her helmet aside and nervously spoke up as she gazes at the gigantic statue before her, "I-I-I…I am…"

"LOUDER!" One of her superiors shouted. The praetor flinched before turning to the source of the voice behind her, who is a short hunched man with pale violet skin, blonde hair, black eyes and a massive bulbous chin. His chest is wrapped with dark blue bandages with a long-sleeved dark shirt underneath, a light gray bolted belt, olive green pants and black shoes.

"And if you don't have the courage to speak up…" The hunched man warned before he lifts his hand up and snaps his fingers, signaling the other two superiors, who are Mala and Eleanor, to aim their naginata and spear at the praetor.

The praetor quickly looks back at the statue and raised her voice as she speaks again, "I am Alisha Diphda! And I wish…I could have been a better protector to the people of my town!"

Alisha lowers her head and shuts her eyelids, preparing for the worst. But to her surprise and relief, nothing happened. She lifts her head back up and open her eyes to see the second orb on the statue's chest plate lightened up. The praetor lets out a sigh of relief as she lowers her head again.

"You did well, Sergeant Alisha Diphda." The hunched man said to the praetor as his teeth cracks out into a wide grin. "You may leave."

Alisha immediately obliged as she picks up her helmet and gets up from the floor. As she puts her helmet back on, she turns around and walks over to her superiors and fellow praetors. As one of the praetors returns her spear to her, Alisha turns her head to the pile of helmets and weapons lay on the floor at the corner of the room, all of them originally belonged to her fellow soldiers who risked their lives to make their wish before the giant statue.

As she grabs her spear, Alisha gave a sad moan to quietly pay her respects to her fallen comrades. She walks past her fellow soldiers afterwards and leaves the room.

"Finally, the second orb has been lightened, and it only took 42 praetors to do so." The hunched man said, scratching his large chin. He turns to Eleanor and ordered her, "Bring in another lower rank soldier."

Suddenly, he and his men felt their lacrima orbs shaking inside their uniforms. Mala quickly draws out his orb and sees that it is flashing red.

"We have intruders in the dam, Captain Nullpudding." Mala reported to the hunched man.

"Then have we all turn dumb?!" Nullpudding yelled furiously at Mala, Eleanor and the other praetors present in the room. "KILL THEM!"

* * *

After running deep into the dam and fighting through their enemies, Team Natsu and their allies eventually find themselves being pinned against the rocky wall and surrounded by a hundred praetors. The praetors get into their battle stances as the spearmen point their spears at them while the swordsmen hold up their swords.

"Give it up! You are completely surrounded!" A squad leader barked at them.

Lucy groans and turns to Sheena. "Way a go, Sheena! You just had to go straight towards the enemy, don't ya?"

"Why do you have to be so stupid, Sheena?" Happy added.

"Pot calls the kettle black!" Sheena snapped at Happy. She growls in rage as she turns back to the praetors and draws out her papers. "I'll show you that I'm not an idiot!"

Sheena swings her arm and throws her papers into the air. The praetors look up at the papers above them as Sheena swiftly made several hand gestures. The papers illuminate brightly and exploded, causing the praetors to yell in alarm as most of them drop their weapons and collapse onto the floor.

"Amazing!" Makoto commented as she watched the display in awe.

"Alright!" Natsu yelled as he clenches his fists and gets into his fighting stance. "Let's fight back!"

Erza closes her eyelids and magically changes her armor into her Adamantine Armor while Lucy, Karol, Judith, Alicia, Darren and Noel draw out their respective weapons. With the bladed shields attached onto her arms, Erza closes them together and charged through the praetors who are still standing. As she collides with them, her shields send the praetors flying helplessly through the air before they land onto the ground in heaps. Makoto sighs blissfully as she watches the display.

"You're so gorgeous, Titania." Makoto remarked before she turns her head and sees two praetors, armed with gauntlets, running towards them. One of them swings her right gauntlet at Makoto. Makoto swiftly dodges the punch by moving to the side. She swings her right arm, using her right tonfa to deliver a powerful punch at the back of her head, sending her falling and landing on her face. The other praetor tries to go over to Makoto, but she whirled about and swings her leg, kicking him across his face.

After firing her revolvers at three praetors, Noel turns to the side and sees ten praetors charging towards her with their spears. Noel took a step back and places her revolvers together.

"Zero-Gun…" As Noel chanted, the revolvers magically transforms into a large barrel gun. She now takes a step forward and aims her newly transformed weapon at the advancing praetors. "FENRIR!"

Noel began firing multiple bullets at the praetors. They yell as they got hit by the non-lethal rounds and collapse onto the floor.

"Incredible." Alicia said as she, Darren, Lucy and Natsu watch her and Makoto in awe.

"Noel's a female Rambo." Darren added.

"Huh?" Lucy asked Darren with an arched eyebrow.

As Natsu turns back to the praetors in front of him and Lucy, a huge grin appears on his face. "We'll show them whose better! Happy, pick me up!" Natsu yelled at Happy.

"Aye!" Happy responded as he flies over to his friend from behind, wraps his tail around his body and picks him up into the air. Natsu holds up his fist in front of his lips and aims at the praetors before his cheeks enlarge.

"FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!" Natsu bellowed as he fires a huge blast of fire from his mouth. The praetors yell as the blast knocks them down to the floor.

"Taurus!" Lucy cried as she swings her key and summons her Celestial Spirit, Taurus, a muscular anthropomorphic black and white bull. Taurus draws out his battle ax and swings his weapon horizontally at a group of praetors. The praetors manage to block his attack with their swords and gauntlets, but the blow sends them sprawling through the floor.

Meanwhile, a praetor runs up to Darren and swings his sword diagonally at him. Darren blocks the attack with his katana and kicks the praetor in his stomach, sending him stumbling backwards. Another praetor jumps into the air and throws down his gauntlet at Darren. Darren quickly jumps away to dodge the attack and the praetor ends up leaving a crack on the ground as he lands.

Suddenly, a pair of yo-yos wrapped around the gauntlet-wielding praetor. He yelps as the strings tightened around his body and he helplessly collapses onto the ground. Darren turns his head to Alicia and smiled at her.

"Thanks!" Darren said.

"You're welcome." Alicia replied. Suddenly, she heard a battle cry, causing her to gasp. Alicia whirled about and sees Alisha running up to her. The praetor thrusts her spear at Alicia, who quickly moves to the side to dodge the attack.

"Stop this right now, intruder!" Alisha yelled at Alicia before thrusting her spear at her again. Alicia moves to the side to dodge her attack again but she accidentally steps on a rock and trips over to the ground on her back. Alisha stands beside her and tries to take the opportunity to bring her spear down on her.

However, Alisha fails to see Darren running over to her. He quickly uses the bottom of the hilt of his katana to hit Alisha right in her gut. As she clings onto her spear, Alisha gasped in pain as she is sent sprawling through the floor. Alisha gets up and sees Darren getting into his fighting stance in front of her. She glares at him as she gets into position as well.

Alisha steps forward and delivers a series of thrusts at Darren with her spear. Darren manages to keep up with her as he blocks her spear with his katana. In the end, when Alisha delivers another thrust at him, Darren moves to the side and brings down his katana onto her spear. Alisha gasps as her opponent manages to knock her weapon out of her grip. Darren turns and swings his katana at her. Alisha froze as Darren stops at mid-swing, holding the blade of his katana right in front of her neck.

After Darren stares at the look of fear and helplessness on Alisha's face for a moment, he sighs and lowers his katana. Alisha looks down and tries to pick up her spear, but suddenly a yo-yo swings over to her and knocks her at the side of her head. Alisha rolls her eyes back as she collapses onto the floor and falls into a state of unconsciousness. The yo-yo returns back to the hand of Alicia, who is now standing up on her feet again.

"Are you okay?" Alicia asked Darren in concern.

"Yeah." Darren replied.

"Thanks for returning the favor." Alicia said with a smile. Darren chuckled before the two rejoin the fight with their friends.

After Karol swings his hammer at the side of a praetor's head to knock him out, he turns to Judith and said, "We can't keep fighting them forever!"

"You're right." Judith replied to her leader before she jumps in the air and delivers a kick across a praetor's face. As she lands back on the ground, she sees another group of praetors, led by Nullpudding, coming towards their direction. Judith turns to Natsu, Lucy, Happy, Darren, Alicia, Sheena and Taurus, who are all standing close to each other as they defend themselves from the advancing praetors. "Guys! You have to keep going! The dam must be reopened!"

"What about the rest of you?" Darren asked. Erza runs over and places herself in front of him and the others. She places her shields together and turns her head to the people behind her.

"Don't worry about us! The reopening of the dam is our utmost priority! Got that?!" Erza yelled at Darren, Natsu, Lucy, Happy, Alicia, Sheena and Taurus. The seven solemnly nod their heads to her before Erza turns back to the front. "I'll give you all cover."

Erza lets out a furious yell as she charges through the praetors, knocking them down and leaving behind an open path for the people behind her.

"Let's go!" Natsu shouted. Happy proceeds to wrap his tail around Natsu's body again and picks him up as he flies into the air while Lucy, Darren, Alicia, Sheena and Taurus run and make their way deeper into the tunnel.

As Nullpudding and his group of praetors make their way over to the ongoing battle, the purple-skinned superior snarls as he sees Erza, Natsu, Happy and Lucy coming towards their direction.

"Fairy Tail!" Nullpudding muttered. As he leaps into the air, Nullpudding enlarged his arms and spikes grow out on his fingers, forearms, chin and head. Erza gasped as she, Natsu, Happy and Lucy notice him in the air.

"It's him!" Erza cried.

"Yeah, I remember! He's the one who fought Gray and Juvia at the Grand Magic Games!" Natsu yelled.

"Nullpudding, right?!" Lucy asked.

Nullpudding yells ferociously as he falls towards Erza and the others and pulls his spiked right arm back, preparing to deliver a strike.

"No you don't!" Erza yelled at him as she leaps into the air and closes her shields together to block Nullpudding's attack.

"We meet again, fairies!" Nullpudding barked at Erza as he tries to push his spiked fist against her shields. As Erza stayed in the air and tries to push back Nullpudding's fist, she turns to Natsu and Happy behind her.

"Go! Keep moving!" Erza shouted at them. "Finish the main objective for us!"

Natsu and Happy nod their heads before the exceed flies down and goes under Erza and Nullpudding while carrying his friend. The two continue to lead Lucy, Darren, Alicia, Sheena and Taurus the way, but their path is blocked by Nullpudding's praetors.

"Taurus, now!" Lucy ordered her spirit.

"You got it!" Taurus responded before he jumps into the air. He spins his battle ax around before swinging it down and strikes it onto the ground as he lands. The impact generated a powerful shockwave that moves towards the praetors, splitting the ground and blasts rocks into the air. The attack sends the praetors flying through the air and creates another clear path for the heroes.

"Thanks Taurus!" Darren said gratefully to the Celestial Spirit. "You really live up to the name of  _'The Great Bull of Heaven'_  bestowed by the Mesopotamians."

"Umm, I don't know what a Meso-something is, but thanks." Taurus replied.

"Come on, everybody!" Lucy cried as she and her friends run faster while the praetors fall and slump onto the ground around them. Erza smiled in relief as she sees Natsu, Happy, Lucy and the others made their way deeper into the tunnel.

"Thank you, guys. You've freed me from my worries." Erza murmured. She turns back to Nullpudding and narrows her eyes as she lets out a yell and successfully pushes her enemy back. Nullpudding performs a backwards somersault and both him and Erza gently land back on the ground. They glare menacingly at each other as Judith, Karol, Noel, Makoto quickly run up to Erza's sides.

"Erza!" Judith said to her before they all get into their battle stances as they face Nullpudding.

Nullpudding sniggered at them as his spikes disappeared. "You may have helped your friends get through me and my men, but the worst has yet to come for them." He said mockingly with a wide grin.

"Why are you doing this? What will Ivan Dreyar gain from conquering all of Fiore?" Erza inquired.

"It is true that we failed to claim the title of the greatest guild of Fiore at the Grand Magic Games two years ago, as well as retrieving Lumen Histoire from the  _'fairies'_ ," Nullpudding said the last word with disdain. "And thanks to that wretched mage known as Laxus Dreyar, our guild has been disgraced and shunned by the rest of society. But fourteen months ago, a friend of ours introduced herself before me and Ivan, presenting us a brand new opportunity to take our revenge on everyone who has brought misery and humiliation upon us, including Fairy Tail and the accursed Magic Council!"

"How can you do this?!" Makoto cried in anguish. "Aren't you a demihuman?! Haven't our race suffered enough since the Tartaros Incident?! If you do this, you will continue to bring disgrace to our people and create further mistrust from the humans!"

"And why should we make peace with the humans?" Nullpudding scoffed at Makoto. "Humans are arrogant and only care about what they desire. They view us demis as a feral and lowly version of themselves. And after the Tartaros Incident happened, the humans never flinch to express their hatred towards us. Face it. You are wasting your life serving the Magic Council alongside them. Humans never cared about co-existing with demis in the first place. And we shouldn't either!"

"Then why do you still serve Ivan?" Erza asked.

"I served Ivan so that I can accomplish my goal in helping all demihumans take their revenge on the humans. He is just a stepping stone for me. Once I helped the Abbey rule the entire world alongside Ivan, I will discard him and walk my own path. Flare Corona, Obra and Kurohebi have all since defect him, but that is because they are weak-minded. I will leave Ivan as well, but unlike them, I will go on to become a far more superior mage. A mage that will make all humans fear me and all demihumans." Nullpudding explained.

"You're right." Judith said flatly to Nullpudding. Erza, Karol, Makoto and Noel turn their heads to her in shock. "There will always be humans out there who only care about their selfish desires."

"Judith!" Karol cried, appalled by her response.

"Heh. Good to know that a fellow demihuman agrees with me." Nullpudding grins at her.

Judith narrows her eyes at Nullpudding as she continued, "But at the same time, you're wrong about them as well."

"Huh?" Nullpudding responded with an arched eyebrow.

"During my time with Karol, Estelle, Alicia, and now with Fairy Tail, I learnt that no matter how bad humans can be, there will always be some who truly care and love for others." Judith turns to Karol and smiled at him. "Just like my leader, Karol Capel here. He may not be the brightest guild leader around, but when my fellow Krityans and I were bullied by humans after the Tartaros Incident, Karol took me into his guild and treated me as an equal. Of all the humans in Zaphias, Karol showed the most pity and compassion to us, demihumans, because deep down in his heart, he doesn't believe in scorn and hatred towards others. He believes that all of us, humans and demihumans, are no different from each other. And that's why he desires to create a world where both races can live together in peace and stability. I share that dream too. That's why regardless of our race, I will follow Karol until the end of time."

A wide smile takes form on Karol's face as small tears brim in his eyes. "Judith…"

Judith turns back to Nullpudding and glares at him again. "So while you believe that humans are a lost cause, I still believe in one thing that I have learned from Brave Vesperia and Fairy Tail. One thing that humans are still capable of…love."

Erza, Karol, Makoto and Noel all smile at Judith and nod their heads in agreement before they turn their heads back to Nullpudding and get back into their fighting stances. Nullpudding growls angrily at them, quivering with rage as he shook his clenched fists.

"What an outrageous fantasy! Accursed humans…and weak-minded demihumans…working together?!" Nullpudding bellowed at them. "You all make me sick!" Nullpudding stomps his foot on the ground and gets into his fighting stance as spikes grow out of his head, chin, arms and fingers again.

"Get ready, everyone!" Erza warned her friends. Karol, Judith, Makoto and Noel nod their heads as they all readied their weapons.

"All of you have failed to understand how miserable and unforgiving this world is! If that is the case, I'll show you all how weak your compassion for others truly is!" Nullpudding roared before he leaps into the air and pulls his fist back as he prepares to fight his enemies.

"Attack!" Erza ordered. She, Karol, Judith, Noel and Makoto jump up and prepare to fight Nullpudding, and a fight between them ensues.

* * *

Meanwhile, Natsu, Happy, Lucy, Darren, Alicia, Sheena and Taurus arrived at the deepest room inside the dam. They widen their eyes and gaze at the gigantic four-armed granite statue in awe.

"Whoooaaa, look at the size of that thing." Happy uttered with his eyes wide.

"There's a statue inside the dam?" Lucy said.

"What is it doing here?" Alicia inquired.

"That is Procrustes, the guardian of Southern Fiore." Mala's booming voice responded to her. The seven turn their heads to see Mala Makra and Eleanor approaching them with their weapons.

"Mala!" Darren cried as he immediately draws out his katana and holds it in front of him.

"I assume you're Natsu Dragneel and Lucy Heartfilia of Fairy Tail." Eleanor said icily to Natsu and Lucy before she gets into her fighting stance with her spear. "We meet at last."

"Who are you? And how do you know who we are?" Natsu asked.

"Does the name Velvet Crowe ring a bell?!" Eleanor cried. Natsu and Lucy gasped.

"The one we fought back at Hargeon." Lucy uttered.

"You mean killed!" Eleanor cried as her grip around her spear tightens. "You mercilessly killed my superior in cold blood, and I will never forgive you!"

"Eleanor, please." Lucy said, holding up her hands and trying to reason with the red-headed praetor. "You have completely misunder-"

"Not another word out of your mouth!" Eleanor snapped back at her. Natsu grimaced, knowing that they have no way to reason with Eleanor right now. Instead, he decides to change the subject and turns to Mala.

"What exactly are you guys doing here? Is this statue the main reason why you guys shut the dam?" Natsu asked Mala.

"Yes." Mala nods his head. "Not only did we close the dam to pressure the townspeople in Port Zekson, but also because we are trying to obtain the treasure that this deity is guarding inside of him."

"What are you talking about?" Sheena asked.

"You see, this dam does serve as a sea route between the south and southwest regions, but there is actually a second reason why the people of this city build it. To protect the Orb of the Heart." Mala explained.

"The Orb of the Heart?" Lucy uttered with her eyes widened. "I...I didn't know…"

"Lucy?" Natsu turns to his friend, staring at her in confusion.

Lucy turns to Natsu and said, "I read about this in the HQ's library. The Orb of the Heart is one of two legendary orbs in Earth Land that is said to control the emotions of every human in the world. They are so dangerous that the very first known Ten Wizard Saints buried them thousands of years ago. I find it hard to believe, so I thought the Orbs were just a myth to me." Lucy flinched as she turns to the statue of Procrustes. "But now…I can't believe it actually exists."

"Oh it does." Mala said to Lucy. "We have already obtained the other orb. And once we obtained the Orb of the Heart as well, no wizard, creature or any known force in Earth Land will be able to stop us."

Natsu and Lucy both grimaced at Mala and Eleanor as they get into their battle stances.

"You'll have to get through us first!" Natsu yelled as his arms lit up with fire. Darren, Alicia, Sheena, Happy and Taurus nod their heads as they prepare to fight as well. Mala holds up his double-edged naginata and gets into position.

"Prepare to die." Mala said diabolically before he swiftly charges towards Natsu. He swings his naginata diagonally at Natsu, who quickly blocks his attack with his flaming forearm. Taurus yells as he goes over to Mala from behind and swings his axe down at his back. Mala quickly splits his naginata into two swords. While one sword is still clashed against Natsu's forearm, Mala turns to Taurus and swings his other sword up to block his battle ax. Lucy throws her whip at Mala's midsection, but the praetor dodges the attack by leaping into the air and jumping away from her, Natsu and Taurus. Mala performs a backflip and lands on the floor beside Eleanor, who had finished chanting her spell. Eleanor looks back at Natsu and the others and aims her spear at them.

"Maelstrom!" Eleanor proclaimed as a blast of wind fires from the tip of her spear and flies over to Natsu and the others.

Natsu and his friends jump away to evade Eleanor's attack. After rolling over the floor, Sheena draws out her papers and sprints over to Eleanor. She throws her papers at Eleanor, who slashes them with her spear. When Sheena got near her, she jumps in the air and delivers some twirling kicks at Eleanor's face. Eleanor manages to keep up with her as she blocks all of her attacks with her spear.

Sheena finishes it off by throwing both of her legs at Eleanor. Eleanor holds up her spear and blocks her attack with the haft of her spear. As Sheena did a backwards flip and lands on the ground, Eleanor slams the tip of her spear onto the floor, jumps up and delivers a whirling kick at Sheena as she clings onto the haft and spins around. She successfully kicks Sheena across her face, sending her rolling to the floor. As Eleanor lands back down on the floor, Lucy throws her whip at her and it wraps around her body.

"Do it!" Lucy ordered Taurus as she pulls her whip back to tighten her grip around her enemy. Taurus yells as he runs over to Eleanor and lifts his battle ax up, preparing to strike her.

Eleanor remains silent as she lowers her head and chanted, "May the Earth protect me…" She looks up at the advancing Celestial Spirit and yelled, "Rock swarm!" Three large rocks magically appear around her, much to the surprise of Lucy and Taurus. Two of the rocks fly over to Taurus. Taurus swings his ax and successfully slices through the first rock, but the second rock manages to collide against his midsection. Taurus yells in pain as he is sent flying through the air. The third rock flies over to Lucy, who gasped in horror as she loosens her grip on her whip.

"Lucy!" Natsu cried as he runs over and tackles Lucy to the floor, successfully getting themselves out of the way as the rock flies past and slams into the wall behind them. As Natsu and Lucy lands on the floor, he looks down at her and asked, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Lucy replied. The two stare at each other for a moment, realizing the position that they got themselves into. The two chuckled as Natsu quickly gets off of her while Lucy rolls over to the side and gets up from the ground. "Why are we having such funny thoughts at a time like this?" She asked as she dusts off her clothes.

Natsu gets up from the ground as well and slaps himself across the face. "Yeah." He simply said.

Meanwhile, Alicia swings her yo-yos at Mala, who dodges them by jumping into the air. After performing a somersault, he lands on the floor in front of Alicia and swings his swords horizontally at her as he gets up. He barely misses her midsection as Alicia backs away from his swords in time. Mala swings his right sword diagonally at Alicia who dodges it by moving to the side. But Mala swings his left sword vertically and successfully leaves a cut from Alicia's left shoulder down to the bottom of her left upper arm.

Alicia cries in pain as she kneels down on a knee. Mala mercilessly swings his right sword horizontally and leaves another slash on Alicia's right upper arm, causing her to cry in pain again as both of her knees are now on the floor.

"Pathetic." Mala muttered before he brings his swords up and prepares to bring them down on her head. Suddenly, Darren yells angrily as he runs over to Mala and tackles him in his midsection with his head. Darren manages to push him several meters away from Alicia before Mala lifts his leg up and kicks him at the bottom of his chin with his knee. Darren backs away and Mala tries to swing his swords horizontally at them. Darren quickly swings his katana diagonally to knock his swords back.

Darren steps forward and proceed to thrust his katana several times at Mala, who quickly dodges all of his attack by moving side to side. When Mala ducks down to dodge Darren's last attack, he tries to swing his swords horizontally at his midsection. Darren quickly lifts his leg up and blocks his attack with his kneepad. As he knocks back his sword, Darren throws his boot into Mala's face, knocking him back and falling to the floor on his back. Darren tries to bring his katana down on his chest, but Mala quickly rolls over to the side and gets up. Darren removes his katana from the floor before he gets up and glares at Mala. They both gaze intensively at each other as they cling onto their weapons and walk around in a circle.

"I see you have greatly improved since our last encounter." Mala commented.

"Thanks, and I couldn't have become what I am now if it weren't for my friends." Darren replied.

"True, but you still could have become even stronger than that if you had joined us." Mala said.

"For the second time, I'm not accepting your offer." Darren narrows his eyes. "Especially after I've seen how you don't treat us from the other world with mercy."

"Mercy is a sign of weakness. That is why our enemies cannot win." Mala replied.

"That's a load of bull and you know it." Darren said flatly. Mala snorted as he and Darren came to a halt. The masked praetor turns to Alicia who is still kneeling on the ground, grabbing onto her injured left arm.

"Then let's see if you can continue to keep your friend safe." Mala said.

"What?" Darren widens his eyes in shock as Mala suddenly charges over to Alicia. "No!"

Darren quickly runs over to Alicia and places himself in front of her right before Mala swings his swords horizontally at him. Darren holds up his katana in time to block his attacks.

"Darren!" Alicia cried as Darren and Mala push their swords against each other in a stalemate.

"Alicia! Run!" Darren shouted as he turns his head to her. Alicia stares at him incredulously for a second before she nods her head, gets up and quickly staggers away while grabbing onto her bleeding left arm.

"Merciful, yet unwise." Mala remarked. As Darren turns back to him, Mala swiftly lifts his leg up, successfully hitting his abdomen with his knee. Darren gasped as he backs away, allowing Mala to twirl and swings his swords around. Darren manages to block his attack in time, but the blow sends him tripping and falling onto the ground on his back.

Mala reconnects his swords together and brings down his naginata onto Darren, who rolls to the side in time before the blade hits the floor where he was originally lying on. However, as Mala slides his naginata to the side, its blade manages to cut Darren's right thigh as he gets up.

Darren yelps in pain as he bends down and places his hand above his injured thigh, allowing Mala to swing his fist and deliver an uppercut at the bottom of his chin. Darren gasped in pain as he is sent staggering backwards before Mala brings up his leg and delivers a powerful kick to his chest. The kick sends Darren flying through the air and slamming against the wall behind him.

Meanwhile, Natsu jumps into the air and swings his hand down at Eleanor as his fingers are engulfed with flames. "FIRE DRAGON'S CRUSHING FANG!"

"Flames, huh? Let's cool you off!" Eleanor yelled before thrusting her spear at Natsu. "ICE EDGE!"

A huge blast of icy breeze erupts from the tip of her spear and flies towards Natsu. As the blast hits Natsu's hand, the Fire Dragon Slayer is shocked to see his left arm frozen in solid ice which extinguishes the flames. As Natsu falls over to Eleanor, the praetor turns around and delivers a kick to his abdomen, sending him flying through the air, slamming against the wall beside Darren and drops onto the floor.

"Natsu!" Lucy cried as she and Alicia are currently kneeling at the doorway while wrapping a bandage around her left arm.

"Are you okay?!" Darren struggled to ask Natsu in pain as he turns his head to him.

"It's alright. I've been through worse." Natsu replied as he lifts his head up and clutches his abdomen. After both of them help each other get up from the ground, they turn to Mala Makra who twirls his naginata before getting into his fighting stance. Natsu snorted in annoyance as he glares at him. "This guy thinks he's so smart…"

"Let's take him out together, shall we?" Darren asked Natsu.

"Yeah. I wish we could have gotten the whole gang together." Natsu said. Suddenly, the entire room shakes and trembles by a powerful force, causing everyone to stumble.

"Huh? What's going on?" Sheena inquired as she and Eleanor stop fighting and heard the loud rumbling sound around them.

"Oh no." Eleanor uttered in horror as she turns her head to the statue of Procrustes. "He wished something that angered the deity!"

"Huh?" Natsu said incredulously as he, Darren and Mala turn to the statue as well. To everyone's awe and horror, the statue began to move. He grabs the huge swords and halberds placed at the sides of his throne before getting up from it and towers before the tiny humans beneath him.

"Violence! You displayed violence!" The statue boomed before lifting the sword in his front left hand up and prepares to swing down at Natsu, Darren and Mala.

This causes Eleanor and Sheena to scream at them, "LOOK OUT!"


	18. Grievances, Part 4

Darren and Natsu quickly jump out of the way while Mala holds up his naginata and clashes his weapon against the statue's sword. The blow causes Mala to get down on his knees temporarily before the praetor manages to get up while pushing back the statue's sword.

The statue tried to thrust his halberd in his back left hand at Mala, but the praetor finally pushes his sword out of his way and twirls his naginata around.

"DESTRUCTIVE CIRCLE!" Mala shouted as he swings his naginata at the statue, firing a circular blast of wind at his head. The statue roars in both pain and anger as the blast hits him at the left side of his head. When the smoke is cleared, the statue recovers and turns his head back to Mala. He swings the sword in his front right hand vertically down at the praetor. Mala jumps out of the way before the sword slams onto the ground.

Suddenly, to the surprise of Sheena and Eleanor, the statue turns the halberd in his back right hand to them. Eleanor gasped and froze in horror.

"Look out!" Sheena shouted as she quickly tackles Eleanor out of the way before the statue thrusts his halberd at them. As the halberd hits the ground, a large rock erupts from the debris and hits Sheena on the back, causing her to yell in pain as she and Eleanor land on the ground. Eleanor stares at Sheena with her eyes wide as she sits up and gets her off her body.

"W-why?" Eleanor asked incredulously at her. "You are my enemy!"

Sheena groans in pain before replying weakly to her, "I-I…I don't care…" She closes her eyes and passes out, leaving Eleanor to continue staring at her in shock and confusion.

With his entire upper body engulfed in flames, Natsu lets out a ferocious roar as he runs up the statue's front right arm and goes directly to his head.

"HOW DARE YOU HURT MY FRIEND?!" Natsu bellowed at the statue in rage. When he reaches his shoulder, Natsu leaps into the air and propels himself over to his head. "FIRE DRAGON'S SWORD HORN!"

Natsu aims the top of his head at the statue and collides against his right cheek. The attack managed to knock the statue's head back, but only a few seconds later, the statue shifts his eyes to Natsu who is still pushing against his cheek. He swings his sword in his front left hand down on the ground. He releases his hand from its hilt and uses it to swipe Natsu out from his left cheek as if he was just a fly. Natsu yells in agonizing pain as the statue gave a hard slap on him, sending him plummeting and rolling over the ground as his flames disappear.

"Natsu!" Lucy cried in horror as she stares at Natsu.

Meanwhile, Mala successfully kicks Darren in the gut, sending him sprawling through the floor. Darren tries to get up but Mala aims his naginata at his throat. As Darren froze and stares at the blade of his weapon in fear, Mala turns to Eleanor who is now standing beside Sheena, still lying on the ground unconscious.

"What are you waiting for, Lieutenant?! Finish her!" Mala ordered her.

Eleanor clings onto her spear tightly, staring down at Sheena in a mixture of hate and confusion. The former is due to still viewing Fairy Tail and their allies as her enemies, but the latter is because she cannot deny the fact that Sheena had saved her life. She hated Fairy Tail for killing Velvet, the praetor whom she admired. And yet, her enemy had just saved her life from the now enraged statue of Procrustes. How can she possibly think of someone who had just saved her life? And is it really honourable for a praetor to kill someone who is unable to fight back for themselves? Eleanor grits her teeth and closes her eyelids, contemplating what she should do right now…and what would Velvet do if she was in the same situation as her.

"DON'T JUST STAND THERE! KILL HER!" Mala commanded her again.

Eleanor continues to contemplate for a few more seconds before she manages to utter a word out from her mouth, "No."

She looks back at Mala and shouted at him with a pensive frown, "No! I can't do it! I will never kill an enemy who is unable to fight back! That is not what an honourable praetor would do!"

Mala remained silent for a moment before replying to her coldly, "So be it."

Suddenly, much to the shock of Darren and Eleanor, Mala swiftly runs over to her and stabs his naginata through her abdomen. Eleanor gasped with her eyes wide and shaking. She trembled for a moment before she closes her eyelids and her head slumps onto Mala's shoulder.

Mala removes his naginata from her abdomen and pushes her off of him in disgust, letting his former ally slump onto the ground.

"Like I said, soldiers must never be overwhelmed by emotion. That is why you're weak." Mala commented as he gazes at Eleanor's motionless body.

Suddenly, Mala heard an angry yell. He turns around and sees Darren, his eyes narrowed and quivering with rage, charging towards him in uncontrollable fury. When he is near the praetor, Darren thrusts his katana at his face. Mala quickly blocks it with his naginata and the two stayed in a stalemate.

"Why?! Why did you do that to her?! She is your friend!" Darren shouted at Mala as they push their weapons against each other.

"She should have known her place, just like you!" Mala responded. Darren snarls as he manages to push Mala back. Mala staggers backwards for barely a second before Darren delivers a kick to his chest, knocking him to the ground.

When he heard the statue's roar, Darren turns and sees him about to bring the palm of his front left hand on top of him. Darren runs out of the way in time before the statue slams his hand onto the ground, causing the floor of the area to tremble. Lucy and Alicia cry in alarm as the tremors cause them and Taurus to fall onto the floor.

"There has to be a way to stop this thing!" Alicia shouted.

"But how?! Not even Natsu can lay a scratch on it!" Taurus said.

"Lucy, didn't you do your research on the Orb of Heart?" Alicia asked Lucy.

"Yes I did." Lucy replied.

"Then what about the person who protected the orb?! Tell us more about Procrustes! You must have learnt something about him as well!" Alicia yelled back at her.

As she momentarily turns away from Alicia, Lucy rubs her temples, trying to remember what she had read about the deity who protects the Orb.

"Well, thousands of years ago, the Orb of the Heart was first discovered by three warriors known as Mathew, Jack and Maria." She began to explain with her eyes still closed. "Mathew, obsessed with bringing peace and tranquillity to Earth Land, uses the Orb's power to control the hearts of everyone, making him and his friends a prime target for the first known Ten Wizard Saints. However, during his conquest, Mathew ended up killing his two lifelong friends, Jack and Maria. Mathew was devastated that he murdered the only two people who ever cared for him throughout his entire life by accident, that he willingly surrendered himself and the Orb to the Ten Wizard Saints. The Ten Wizard Saints then seal the Orb away into the body of a legendary warrior known as Procrustes, an invincible warrior who will only submit…"

Lucy opens her eyes and turns to Alicia as she finished her explanation, "To the sense of regret."

Natsu jumps back and lands in front of Lucy and Alicia after dodging a halberd from Procrustes.

"That thing is invincible? Should have said so sooner!" Natsu said to Lucy as he turns to her.

Alicia briefly slaps herself on her face before saying to Natsu, "No! Lucy just said the statue's weakness! He submits to the sense of regret!"

"Oh okay!" Natsu said before looking up at the statue. "Hey big guy!" He shouted, getting the statue's attention. "I regret that I wasn't able to save my father!"

However, when he says it, the first orb on the statue's chestplate just lights up. The statue roars again as he swings the sword in his front left hand vertically downwards at Natsu. Lucy and Alicia yelp while Natsu throws up his hands and grabs the sword, preventing the weapon from coming down onto his head.

"Did you notice that orb lit up on his chest?" Lucy asked Alicia.

Alicia nodded and replied, "I guess that means it has already been said to him."

"You mean the fact of someone regretting to save someone close to them? Noted." Natsu said. He turns back to the statue and yells as he manages to push the sword back, sending the statue staggering backwards.

"Even though I can't defeat it, at least I can still keep him busy. Until then, you guys better think of something." Natsu said to the girls and Taurus before he jumps back into the air and continues fighting the statue to keep Procrustes occupied.

"G-Guys…" Lucy, Alicia and Taurus barely heard Eleanor saying to them while she lies down on her own pool of blood. They see the praetor looked back and tried to reach her hand out to them. Lucy and Taurus turn to each other and nod their heads. Despite the fact that Eleanor is a praetor who fought against them, they cannot leave a defenceless person behind without mercy.

"Alicia, stay here." Lucy said to her friend. Alicia nods her head to her before Lucy and Taurus run their way over to Eleanor.

As they run, the statue lands his foot right behind Lucy and Taurus as Natsu manages to land a flaming punch to its chest and sends it staggering backwards. As Lucy and Taurus continue running, Darren rolls over the ground behind them after getting kicked by Mala again. Mala runs over to him and tried to bring his naginata down on him, but Darren quickly rolls over to the side before getting up and successfully stabs his katana through the left lower side of Mala's abdomen, causing him to yell in pain as he falls on his left knee. Darren removes his katana, turns around in a circle and delivers a twirling kick across his face that sends him rolling over to the floor.

When Lucy and Taurus reach Eleanor's side, they both kneel down and the blonde mage carefully lifts her head up from the floor.

"Hang on, we'll get you out of here, I promise." Lucy said to Eleanor with a worried frown.

"P-Procrustes…" Eleanor moaned weakly as she stares at Lucy with her eyes flittering. She takes a deep breath before continuing, "We managed to confess to him that we regret not being able to save our relatives, and not being able to protect our fellow townspeople. Now, you'll need to think of two other things that are different than those."

Lucy nods her head before looking up at Taurus. "Taurus, I order you to take this woman and Sheena out of here."

"Yes mistress." Taurus said solemnly to her. He extends out his arms, allowing Lucy to place Eleanor onto them. Taurus carefully picks Eleanor up as he stands up and runs out of the room. Procrustes swiftly turns his head to the fleeing Celestial Spirit and attempted to thrust his halberd in his back left hand at him and Eleanor.

"HAPPY!" Natsu shouted.

"Aye!" Happy responded as he flies down to Natsu, quickly wraps his tail around his body and delivers him over to the statue. Natsu pulls his right arm back and a magical circle forms behind his elbow.

"FIRE DRAGON'S FLAME ELBOW!" Natsu bellowed as he throws his right fist at the halberd with flames bursting out from his elbow. He successfully punches the halberd out of the way, allowing Taurus and Eleanor to continue fleeing from the fight.

"In…credible." Eleanor managed to say as she watched her enemy saved her life once more through her nearly closed eyelids. She finally passes out and slips into unconsciousness once more as Taurus carries her out through the doorway.

As Happy lands Natsu back on the ground, the Dragon Slayer turns to the exceed as he unwraps his tail around him. "Happy, take Sheena out of here and follow Taurus." He said solemnly to him.

"Aye." Happy obliged. He flies over to Sheena, picks her up with his tail and makes his departure out of the room.

Meanwhile, Darren barely manages to block all of Mala's attacks with his katana as the praetor continuously swings his swords at him. But eventually, Mala manages to land a slash at the left side of Darren's abdomen, causing him to yelp. Mala proceeds to swing his left sword diagonally, successfully slashing Darren's right shoulder.

As Darren grits his teeth while struggling to cling onto his katana, Mala jumps back and swings both swords horizontally at him.

"DESTRUCTIVE FIELD!" Mala shouted and two horizontal waves of explosions erupted from the floor and head towards Darren. The blasts hit Darren and send him flying over to Alicia. Alicia watched in horror as Darren lands beside her and sprawls through the floor.

"No! Darren!" Alicia shouted at him. Darren groans as he tries to get up.

"Darren!" Natsu and Lucy cried as they go over to Mala from behind. As Mala turns to them, Natsu pulls back his flaming fist.

"GET AWAY FROM-ACK!" Before Natsu could finish, Mala swings his sword horizontally at them, firing a large circular gust of wind that sends him and Lucy flying through the air and slamming against the wall.

Mala turns back to Darren who gets back up on his feet, but he groans again as he places his hand over his wound on the side of his abdomen.

"Surrender now." Mala said icily to him. "You can keep fighting as much as you want. But in the end, you and your friends will never be stronger than me."

As Darren breathed heavily, he turns to Alicia who frowns worriedly at him while still clutching onto her shoulder wound. His eyes widened as he stares wordlessly at her. The frown on her face immediately flooded his mind with painful memories of his past. Memories that he wish he could never be reminded of again…

* * *

Darren, dressed in a white short-sleeved shirt and brown pants, froze and helplessly watches a tall student lifting a shorter student up in the air while grabbing onto his collar. The shorter student grits his teeth as he turns to Darren and begged, "Please…help me!"

As the tall student turns his head and glares at him, Darren gasps as he felt his heart beating faster and soon finds himself gritting his teeth and clenching his fists tightly.

"Are really going to hit me?" The tall student said icily to Darren. "Do you really want to hit your best friend?"

"Darren! Help me!" The shorter student cried to him.

"I…" Darren shook his fists uncontrollably, until he uncurls his hand and lowers his head in shame. "I can't…"

"Darren!" The shorter student cried to his friend in despair again.

"I'm sorry, Fandi." Darren murmured hoarsely. "I'm so sorry…"

The taller student smirked and pins the shorter student against the wall. "That's right. Don't hit me. Because I'm your true friend."

* * *

Darren grits his teeth and lowers his head as he trembled. It is that memory again. The memory of the incident that changed his life forever. An incident that made him hate himself for being weak and selfish ever since. He wished that the incident never happened, and how he wished he could go back in time and prevent himself from ever making that mistake.

"So, what will your answer be?" Mala asked as he points his right sword at him. "Will you submit to me?"

Darren's body continue to shake uncontrollably, and for a brief moment, his grip around the hilt of his katana loosened. But suddenly, he curls his fingers and clenches onto his weapon as he looks back up at Mala with his eyes narrowed in rage.

"No! I will not give up! I will never abandon my friends. Not this time!" Darren yelled at Mala.

"Darren…" Alicia uttered as she gazes at him.

"Then accept your fate." Mala muttered in response. Suddenly, Mala swiftly charges over to Darren. Darren couldn't react in time as Mala lifts his right sword up and stabs him in his abdomen.

"DARREN!" Alicia screamed in horror as she watches her friend being stabbed in complete shock.

As he lowers his head, Darren groans in pain as blood began trickling down the side of his mouth. Mala snorted at him before bringing up his left sword above Darren's head. He swings it down, preparing to finish his opponent off.

Suddenly, much to Mala's surprise, Darren swiftly lifts his head up and holds his katana up to block the praetor's sword. Darren snarls at Mala with his eyes narrowed and his teeth gritted.

"Darren!" Alicia cried in surprise with her eyes widened.

"Fool! You still dare to fight back?!" Mala shouted lividly at Darren.

"Like I said…" Darren groans for a moment as more blood trickled down from the other side of his mouth. "I will not give up!"

Mala removes his other sword from Darren's abdomen and tried to swing it horizontally at him. But Darren successfully pushes his other sword back, causing Mala to stagger backwards. Darren swings his katana diagonally a few times at Mala who manages to block them with both swords before he delivers a final vertical swing. Mala swings his swords horizontally to block Darren's katana and the two stayed in another stalemate.

When they felt the ground tremble, Mala turns around and Darren looks up to see Procrustes walking towards them and preparing to swing his swords down on them.

"NO!" Alicia cried in horror as she finally gets up on her feet while still clutching onto her shoulder.

Mala turns back to Darren and yells, "Stand down now! If you don't, we will both die!"

"Never! I'll do whatever it takes to take you down!" Darren shouted at him furiously in response.

"Please! Do as he says! I don't want you to die!" Alicia cried to Darren pleadingly.

"No! I refuse to run away!" Darren yelled in response while still gazing at Mala. "I did that once, and the ones I cared paid the price! I will not let that happen to my friends again!"

"Stop!" Alicia begged. "JUST STOP!"

Without giving a second thought, Alicia bolts over to Darren and wraps her arms around him from behind. Darren widens his eyes in surprise.

"Alicia? What? Why?" Darren asked incredulously as he turns his head to her. Alicia rests her head on his back and closes her eyelids, allowing a few tears of despondency to roll down her cheeks.

"Please Daniel." Alicia sobbed. "I…I don't want you to leave me…"

"Alicia…I…I just…" As Darren struggled to speak, Procrustes now stood behind Mala and brings the sword in his front right hand up, preparing to finish the three humans below him. Mala turns his head around to the statue and gazes at him in horror.

As the statue was about to bring his sword down on them, Darren closes his eyes and finally managed to finish what he had to say, "I regret not being a good friend and son!"

Procrustes suddenly froze in mid-swing. The statue gave a soft gasp as the third orb on his chestplate illuminates.

A few seconds later, Alicia manages to suppress a sob and replied to Darren, "And I regret…not being able to change my fate."

The fourth and final orb on the statue's chestplate light up as well. Procrustes steps away from the humans and lowers all of his weapons as his rage finally dissipates. His eyes softened as he stares down at Darren and Alicia.

"Your remorse…is genuine." Procrustes said calmly to the two.

Mala pushes Darren and Alicia back with his swords, turns around and looks up at the statue. "What?" He uttered.

As Alicia pulls away from her embrace, she and Darren look up at Procrustes in awe as the giant warrior stabs his swords and halberds into the ground. He kneels down on a knee and proceeds to open his chestplate, revealing a bright and shiny orb, illuminated with pink light.

"That…" Darren uttered.

"Is the Orb of Heart!" Mala cried in astonishment.

Procrustes removes the orb from his chest with his left hand as he gazes at Alicia and Darren. He extends his left hand out to Alicia, gesturing her to take the Orb on its palm.

"The Orb of Heart…is yours." Procrustes said soothingly to Alicia. The girl stares at the orb in awe for a moment before she begins to lift her hands up and prepares to take it from the giant warrior.

"NO!" Mala shouted as he gets into his fighting stance with his swords. "The Orb of Heart belongs to the Abbey!" He swiftly charges over to Alicia, preparing to strike her down. But Procrustes swiftly swings his right front arm and swipes Mala away, sending him flying through the air and colliding against the wall hard. Mala yells in pain as he drops his swords and falls onto the ground on his face.

Darren and Alicia stare at Procrustes in awe as the giant warrior turns back to them. After regaining her composure, Alicia proceeds to take the Orb from his left hand. The statue said calmly to her, "It is your duty to protect the Orb of Heart now. Use its power wisely. Never repeat the same mistake as I did."

Alicia stares wordlessly at Procrustes for a moment before giving him a solemn nod. "I won't."

Procrustes' lips curved into a wan smile. "Thank you." He replied before stepping away from the humans.

"Darren!" Natsu cried as he and Lucy, who both fully recover, run over to Darren and Alicia.

"Alicia!" Lucy added in concern. The two members of Fairy Tail gasp upon seeing the shiny object in Alicia's hands. "Is that-"

"The Orb of Heart? Yes." Darren said to Lucy.

Alicia continues gazing at Procrustes in astonishment until she finally uttered in realization, "Procrustes…is Mathew."

"Now go! Leave this place!" Procrustes boomed at the humans as he clenches all four fists tightly. As he turns around and bring his fists up, Natsu, Lucy, Darren and Alicia gasp, realizing what the giant warrior is trying to do.

"He's going to burst open the dam! This entire place is going to be flooded!" Lucy screamed.

"RUN!" Natsu shouted. Without any second thoughts, Natsu, Lucy, Darren and Alicia whirl about and run their way out of the large room while Procrustes began slamming his fists against the wall. Huge cracks are form on the wall with every single punch he made, and large amounts of water burst through them, beginning to flood the extensive area of the dam.

* * *

Nullpudding groans in pain as Erza knocks him back with one of her shields. After sprawling through the ground, Noel, Makoto, Judith and Karol surround Nullpudding and aim their weapons at them.

"It's over, Nullpudding." Noel said sternly to him.

Nullpudding snarls at them for a moment before he sniggered evilly. "Fools, do you really think you can stop all of us?" He asked.

Noel, Makoto, Judith and Karol gasped upon hearing the footsteps of several people approaching them. They and Erza turn around to see all the praetors who had been beaten earlier, including Alisha, had all regain their consciousness and get into their battle stances with their weapons, surrounding them and preparing to fight once more.

Nullpudding laughed as he gets back up while Judith, Karol, Makoto and Noel run back to Erza. The five stand closely to each other as they look around, realizing that they are completely surrounded by over a hundred praetors. As they breathe heavily, they look at each other and solemnly nod their heads. Even if they are getting exhausted, they will continue fighting against the Abbey until their last breath.

Erza and the others get into their fighting stances, preparing to fight Nullpudding and the praetors once again. But suddenly, much to everyone's surprise, huge tremors shook the entire area, causing all of them to stumble.

"What's going on?!" Nullpudding yelled in alarm as everyone regain their balance.

Suddenly, a rock fell from above and hits on top of Alisha's head, knocking her out and causing her to drop her spear. As the praetor collapses onto the floor, several cracks form on the ceiling and more debris began falling from above.

"What's happening?!" Karol screamed in horror as the entire area shook harder.

"This place is going to collapse!" Natsu shouted from a distance. Erza, Karol, Judith, Noel and Makoto look up to see Natsu, Lucy, Darren, Alicia, Taurus and Happy heading towards them while carrying the Orb of Heart, and both Sheena and Eleanor who are still unconscious.

"We got to get out of here now!" Lucy screamed.

Nullpudding widens his eyes and gapes his mouth open upon seeing the Orb in Alicia's arms.

"The Orb of Heart!" Nullpudding cried before turning his head to his soldiers. "Praetors! Capture th-what?"

Nullpudding cuts himself off when he sees his praetors panicked and screamed in sheer terror as they toss their weapons aside, turn to the direction of the exit and flee for their lives.

"Let's get out of here!" One of the squad leaders shrieked in terror.

"I don't want to die in here!" Another praetor cried hysterically as he ran along with his fellow soldiers.

"Run!" Another praetor screamed.

"No! Come back! Grab the Orb of Heart from them!" Nullpudding yelled at his soldiers while pointing his finger at Natsu and the others. But the soldiers ignored him and continue fleeing. Nullpudding yells again as he stomps his foot, "DAMN YOU ALL!"

Nullpudding growls as he turns back to Natsu and the others before leaping into the air and enlarge his arms and fists. As spikes appear over his body, he pulls back his spiked left fist and roars ferociously as he falls towards Alicia, preparing to-

Natsu swiftly responded by swinging his left flaming fist directly into Nullpudding's abdomen, sending him slamming against the wall beside them. As Nullpudding collapses onto the floor and slips into unconsciousness, Natsu snorted at him before turning to his friends.

"Let's go!" Natsu yelled at them. "And someone take ass-chin along with us!"

"You got it!" Taurus obliged as he passes the unconscious Eleanor to Darren. After the Celestial Spirit carries Nullpudding up in his arms, he and the others regroup with Erza, Karol, Judith and Noel and they all run their way out of the dam together.

Not wanting to leave Alisha behind to a gruesome fate, Makoto picks her up from the floor, cradles the unconscious praetor in her arms and catches up to her friends from behind.

When they heard a loud rushing sound, Natsu, Lucy, Erza, Darren and Alicia turn their heads around for a moment to see huge amounts of water making their way towards them in the distance, causing them to panic.

"RUN FASTER!" Erza screamed as they all look back to their front.

"WE'RE NOT GOING TO MAKE IT!" Karol screamed in horror.

"It's been an honour fighting alongside all of you!" Judith cried as she closes her eyes, grimly accepting her fate. Noel turns around and froze as the water finally catches up to all of them.

"NOOOOO!" Noel screamed as she holds up her hands.

* * *

There was nothing but dead silence at the entrance of the dam for a few moments, before it is soon broken by huge amounts of water bursting out from it. The water flows rapidly through the once emptied river bed through Loegres, finally bringing back life to the empty streets of the city. And when the water collides against the walls that barricaded the Spiegel River, the powerful force of its currents burst through them, reopening the river bed and reconnecting the city to the rest of the world once again.

Medea, who had been sitting in the boat at the pier the whole time, watched in astonishment as water flows out of Loegres and through the Spiegel River.

"They did it." She uttered before she quickly starts the boat and makes her way over to the reopened entrance to the city.

"Lieutenant Vermillion! Lieutenant Nanaya! Erza! Natsu! Anyone!" Medea calls out in concern as she sails through the city's river bed.

"Anyone! Please answer me!" Medea cried once more, hoping that at least one of her allies had survived their mission. Suddenly, her cries were answered when an enormous magical sphere burst out from the water below and in front of Medea. Medea yelps as she quickly stops the boat in front of the sphere. The hooded knight widens her eyes and drops her jaw in awe. "I don't believe it…"

Medea sees that inside the magical sphere were Noel and the others, along with three unconscious praetors. As Natsu, Lucy, Darren, Alicia, Erza, Makoto, Karol, Judith, Happy and Taurus are sitting down and looking at their surroundings in awe, while Sheena, Eleanor, Alisha and Nullpudding still remain unconscious, Noel is standing in the centre with her arms extended out. The Rune Knight too is incredulous to find herself inside a magical sphere that seems to be created…by her.

"What…is this?" Noel uttered as she looks around.

"This sphere…it looks so familiar." Lucy said before she widens her eyes in realization. "Could it be…Fairy Sphere?!" Erza and Happy gasped in response.

"What?!" Natsu cried incredulously.

Noel frowns in confusion as she uttered once more, "I…I don't know what's going on…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No. I did not make a mistake when I type Daniel. *Wink*


	19. Grievances, Part 5

The next morning, thousands of people erupt with cheers and hooting as they gathered around the town square of Port Zekson to celebrate the liberation of Loegres. Several townspeople of both Port Zekson and Loegres help each other build up a huge pile of wood at the centre of the town square, which they set it up on fire and use it to burn all the rotten fish while Wendy, Charle, Happy and Medea use their wind magic to blow away the stench that had plagued the town for so long.

When they are done, the townspeople gathered more wood to keep the fire burning and began dancing and celebrating around it. With both the awful stench and the rotten fish gone, the townspeople couldn't help but feel ecstatic and relieved that after two months, they finally gain their freedom from the Abbey. And as they dance their heart out, Team Natsu, Yuri, Estelle, Karol and Judith couldn't help but join in on the celebrations as well.

Near the large campfire, a group of men are playing country music with their instruments while most of the people gathered in the town square joyfully perform the line dance. Happy, Carla, Gray, Wendy, Erza, Karol and Judith chortled as they dance along with them, while the other townspeople, mostly children, watch from a distance and clap their hands.

"Judith! Isn't this party great or what?" Karol asked Judith, who danced beside him, as he panted.

"Indeed! We did free both Port Zekson and Loegres after all!" Judith replied with a grin.

"Judith…" Karol said as he and Judith stop and stare at each other while the others continue dancing. "I just want to say, thank you for sticking with me despite being a member of a different race."

"You're welcome." Judith smiled at him. "Human or demihuman, it doesn't matter who we are. All it matters is that we share a common goal in saving this world from the Abbey, and I don't want our cultural differences to get in the way."

"Judith, I promise to continue working hard to become one of the greatest guild masters in all of Fiore, and promote a world where both humans and demihumans can forgive each other and co-exist in peace." Karol said solemnly.

"And I'll stay by your side to help you fulfil that goal." Judith vowed with a confident smile.

Karol and Judith smiled at each other for a moment until the former is interrupted by Wendy's giggle. He turns around to see Wendy and Gray laughing as they dance together with the other townspeople. Karol pouts and clenches his fists as he watched the two, but Judith also noticed that his cheeks are blushing. She nudges Karol on the back, causing the boy to turn around.

"Go on. Do it while you still have the chance." Judith said, gesturing Karol to go over to Wendy. Karol nods his head before he turns back to Wendy and Gray and goes over to them. After approaching them, Karol gave a cough, getting their attention.

"What is it?" Wendy asked as she and Gray stare at Karol questioningly. To their surprise, Karol extends his hand out to Wendy.

"C-c-can I?" Karol managed to ask. Wendy continues staring at Karol in awe for a moment before a smile sweeps across her face.

"Of course." Wendy replied before grabbing Karol's hand, much to the boy's surprise.

"Very well then, I'll leave you two alone." Gray said with a lopsided smirk.

"Ahahahaha, thanks." Karol replied sheepishly before Gray turns and walks away.

"Come on! Let's dance!" Wendy squealed. Much to his surprise, Wendy pulls Karol over to her and the girl wraps her hand around the back of his shoulders. Karol blushed as he slowly wraps his other hand around the back of her waist. Wendy smiled at him again as the two slowly began doing the square dance.

"I heard from Judith that you fought very well in Loegres." Wendy said to him.

"Ahahahaha, yeah. I guess so." Karol replied nervously as he shifts his eyes away from Wendy for a moment.

"Great job. I'm proud of you." Wendy said. Karol looks back at Wendy with his eyes widened and his cheeks reddened, and a few seconds later, his lips also formed into a wide smile. Wendy giggled as the two continue dancing together.

While sitting on a nearby bench, Yuri smiled as he watched Wendy and Karol dancing together from a distance. His thoughts were soon interrupted when Estelle walks over and greeted him, "Hey there."

Yuri turns his head to the side to see Estelle smiling at him with her hands placed in front of her waist.

"Oh hey Estelle. Aren't you attending to Darren, Alicia and Sheena?" Yuri asked.

"Just finished. Now I'm here to join the festivities." Estelle replied. "But why aren't you?"

"Meh, I'm not interested." Yuri shrugged.

"Seriously? You're going to pass a possibly once-in-a-lifetime celebration by just sitting here?" Estelle asked incredulously. Yuri remains silent as he turns his head away. Estelle pouts at him before she goes over and grabs Yuri by his hand.

"What?" Yuri briefly said dumbfounded before Estelle pulls his arm, causing him to get up from the bench. With a gentle smile on her face, Estelle gestures Yuri to the campfire and the dancers. Knowing that he can't reject the woman's kind request, Yuri lets out a sigh and gave a wan smile to Estelle. The two go over to the dancers before turning to each other. While still clinging onto his left hand, Estelle uses her other hand to wrap around the back of Yuri's waist. Yuri chuckled as he proceeds to wrap his right hand around the back of Estelle's shoulders.

"Just do what I do." Estelle instructed him before the two slowly perform the square dance together along with the music. Yuri chuckled again as he soon finds himself dancing with her and joining in on the festivities.

Meanwhile, Noel and Makoto stood nearby and watch the celebration with smiles on their faces. Makoto lets out a blissful sigh as she places her fists at the sides of her hip.

"Ah, joy and celebration after gaining their freedom and liberation from the Abbey. I sure do love a happy ending to this story." Makoto commented.

"Aye, me too. However, our war against the Abbey is not over yet. So we will have to regroup with the rest of the Rune Knights and continue the fight." Noel said solemnly to Makoto, who nods her head in agreement. But shortly after, Noel's lips curved into a smile as she added, "But for now, let's take this opportunity to rest and celebrate after a job well done."

"You got it, lieutenant!" Makoto replied with a stomp and a salute. Noel chuckled in response.

"Excuse me, ma'am?"

Noel and Makoto turn around to see two men walking over to them. The two knights immediately recognize them.

"Hey, aren't you two the guys who yelled at us and the mayor the other day?" Makoto inquired.

"Y-yes." The bald man said sheepishly as he and the other man with short black hair lower their heads in shame. "Ma'am, we're…really sorry for what we did."

"What we did and said to you was really mean and uncalled for. Please forgive us." The black haired man said apologetically as the two men bow down to Noel and Makoto.

Noel and Makoto smiled at the two before the latter said to them, "It's okay. We forgive you."

"But honestly, we owe you an apology as well." Noel added. "Far too often, we are so focused on the war against our enemy that we forget the feelings of the civilians who were affected by it."

The two men stood up and smile back at Noel and Makoto before they shook hands with the two Rune Knights.

"Noel Vermillion?"

After releasing the men's hands, Noel and Makoto turn their heads to see Erza walking over to the former.

"Erza Scarlet?" Noel asked.

"May I ask you something?" Erza requested with a warm smile.

Finally, Natsu and Lucy are sitting together at a nearby bench, watching the celebration and their fellow guild mates dancing along with the members of Brave Vesperia and the townspeople. Lucy chuckled before she turns to Natsu, who is holding two kebabs in his hands.

"I'm really glad that the people of Port Zekson and Loegres got their freedom again." Lucy said to Natsu.

Natsu takes a bite of the kebab in his right hand before turning to Lucy. "Reah, me toh." Natsu replied with his mouth full.

After Natsu swallows his food, Lucy sighs and said, "You know, I really thought that because we were unable to take down Procrustes back at the dam, we were done for."

"I thought so too. I thought after Acnologia, I would never face another formidable foe again. I was wrong." Natsu said with a pensive frown.

Lucy places her hand on top of Natsu's thigh. "Natsu…I was actually scared of losing and dying back there, and it also made me contemplate what would happen to Earth Land if we did."

Natsu took a moment to stare wordlessly at his friends and the townspeople who are still dancing and celebrating their victory and freedom. He turns back to Lucy and replied, "If we did, none of these people would be celebrating right now. All our friends back at Fairy Tail would be mourning for us. And both Port Zekson and Loegres would still be under the Abbey's control."

"Despite having so many adventures with all of you, there are still so many things in this world that I want to discover, Natsu." Lucy said.

"Me too. And I want to do it with all of my friends, including you." Natsu said.

Lucy blushed as she nods her head. "Natsu, when our fight against the Abbey is over, let's go back to our normal duties at the guild." Lucy said to him with a small smile.

"I look forward to that day too." Natsu smirked. As Lucy gazes at her friend, she began to contemplate what Darren and Karol had said to her before.

" _Hmm, you two like each other."_

" _Yeah, I mean how calm and relaxed these two sound whenever they talk to each other, isn't it obvious?"_

Lucy flinched at her memories. She hadn't forgotten what they said after the battle of Hargeon that night, and she cannot deny that what they said is partially true. Lucy could remember all the times she and Natsu spent together, both during their missions and their leisure. Like the time when Natsu brought a piece of the Blossom-viewing Festival to her apartment when she was ill, and the time when she managed to escape from her cell at Edolas, rescued Natsu and restoring his Fire Dragon Slayer Magic. After helping each other and working together for the last nine years, Lucy truly has developed feelings for Natsu. But it can't have blossomed into love as well. Can it?

Lucy looks up at Natsu and struggled to speak out, "N-Natsu?"

"Oh! I just remembered now!" Natsu exclaimed with his eyes widened.

"Huh?" Lucy arches an eyebrow.

"Darren, Alicia and Sheena are still in the clinic! It's a shame that they are missing out all the fun because they have to recover from their injuries. But we should go see them!" Natsu suggested to Lucy with a huge grin.

Lucy smiled back at him and nods her head in agreement. "You're absolutely right! Let's go check up on them!" She replied.

Without saying another word, Natsu ecstatically gets up from the bench and makes his way to the clinic. Lucy sat there and lets out a disappointed sigh.

' _I'll ask him some other time, I guess.'_  Lucy mentally said to herself before she gets up and follows Natsu from behind.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the town's clinic, Darren and Sheena are resting inside a room and lying beside each other on different beds as the former shared his friend what happened at the dam yesterday. Thanks to Wendy's and Estelle's healing magic, they, Alicia and the unconscious praetors have since recovered from their injuries, but still required some rest before they can get back up to their feet.

"So let me get this straight, that big statue thing, Procrustes, destroyed the wall, allowing water to flow through the city of Loegres again and just as we are all about to drown, Noel suddenly creates a huge freaking sphere that saved and protected us." Sheena said to Darren with her hands placed on her pillow and behind her head.

"Yup, pretty much." Darren replied as he looked back at her.

Sheena's lips curved into a huge smile. "I'm glad we survived that whole ordeal, Darren." She said.

"Me too. But we got ourselves injured, and it hurts so much." Darren said grimly as he looks up at the ceiling. "That is why…I will continue to grow stronger."

Sheena frowns and turns her gaze away from Darren momentarily. After curling her fingers into fists, she looked back at Darren and spoke up, "Darren, I-"

"Darren!"

Darren and Sheena turn their heads to the doorway in front of them to see Alicia and Medea standing there. They can see that Alicia is now standing on her feet, with bandages strapped around and over her left shoulder and both upper arms.

"Alicia." Darren uttered. Alicia smiled back at him as small tears form in her eyes.

"Thank goodness…" Alicia said softly. She rushes over to the right side of Darren's bed and wraps her arms around him, causing Sheena to widen her eyes and drop her jaw. Suddenly, Alicia winced as she removes her arms around Darren and backs away.

"Don't hurt yourself, Alicia. Your friends may have healed you but you can't allow your wounds to reopen." Medea warned.

"Yeah." Alicia chuckled.

Darren laughed as well before he sits up from his bed. "Can we do this again and not hurt yourself this time?" He asked Alicia.

"Sure." Alicia nods her head. Darren precedes to wraps his arms around Alicia, who slowly raises her arms and carefully puts them around his shoulders. When she succeeded, Alicia leans forward and rests her head on Darren's shoulder. Sheena stares wordlessly at them for a moment before she lets out a moan and stretches her arms.

"Alright, while you two have your moment, let me just go out for a walk." Sheena said as she sits up and gets off from her bed

"Are you sure, Sheena?" Darren asked as he and Alicia temporarily break away from their embrace.

"Relax, I'll be fine." Sheena flashes a grin at them.

"Don't walk away too far from here." Medea informed Sheena. "Understand?"

"I won't." Sheena replied as she stood up. Darren and Alicia watch Sheena walks past Medea and leaves the room before looking back at each other again. They smile and pull themselves into a warm embrace again.

Unbeknownst to them and Medea, Sheena stood outside of the room and looked back at her friend and Alicia. With her teeth gritted and her fists clenched, hot tears begin forming in her eyes. As soon as she turns her head away, Sheena hastily walks out of the clinic while carrying the pain that is now aching inside her heart. She makes her way to the back of the clinic and leans her back against the wall. With tears now trickling down the cheeks, Sheena lowers her head and wraps her arms around herself as she felt cold.

Ever since Darren forged new friendships with the members of Fairy Tail and Brave Vesperia, Sheena felt that she had grown more and more distant from him, and it hurts her heart to know that she never received the same sense of acknowledgement from him again after leaving Underwood.

As his friend, Sheena truly cared for Darren, but she was never able to confess her feelings to him because of her cold personality. But she still hoped that somewhere inside his heart, Darren shared the same feelings towards her. But it appears that it is all hopeless now, as Darren had instead given his heart to Alicia, who is able to open herself up to him before she did.

Sheena tried to get Darren's attention from time to time by tagging along with him in their last two battles. But she knew that their last mission wouldn't have been so problematic for her and the others if she had not sabotaged their original plan to infiltrate the dam. And it is because of her recklessness; Darren got himself injured by the praetors. Sheena wipes away her tears as she became overwhelmed with a sense of guilt and defeat.

"I guess…I guess we are not meant to be together…" Sheena managed to choke out as she finally came to a realization. She closes her eyes and continued standing there in painful silence while being wrapped around by her own arms.  _'I…I'll be alright…on my own.'_

Back at the clinic, Darren and Alicia break away from their embrace and stare into each other's eyes for a moment.

"Alicia…back at the dam, you mentioned a name. Daniel. Who is he?" Darren inquired, breaking the silence between them.

Alicia lets out a soft gasp and stares wordlessly at Darren for a moment. "Well…" She struggled to speak as she pushes a few strands of hair away from her eyes. "He was…a very important person in my life."

"You mentioned that you don't want me, or Daniel, to leave you. And you also regret that you were unable to change your fate." Darren places his palm above Alicia's hand. "Alicia…I also had people in my past who were very important to me. People who I wished…" He frowned as he began to feel his heart ache. "Who I wished I could have been by their side. Like my father and my friend."

Alicia remained silent for a few moments before letting out a deep sigh.

"Daniel…was my brother." Alicia replied. "He was going to be the heir to my parents' medical company. And as an older sibling, he supported me in my dreams of becoming an environmentalist. But one day…" Alicia paused as her eyes grew cold. "He died in a car accident. And shortly after his death, my parents began pressuring me to work hard and solely focus in my studies so that I can take his place in becoming the heir to their medical company. My dreams of becoming an environmentalist were dashed and I lost all of my friends. And I'm supposed to begin studying in the University of Auckland three months from now."

"Car accident? Auckland?" Darren uttered as his eyes widened. "That means…"

Alicia nods her head. "I'm not an Earth Lander. I'm actually from Earth. And I was born in Wellington, New Zealand."

Darren gasped and asked, "You were teleported here from my world too?" Alicia nodded again. "But why? Why did you hide the truth from me?"

"Because…" Alicia took a gulp, trying to suppress her sobs. But it proved useless as Alicia proceeds to close her eyelids, letting her tears roll down her cheeks, as she wailed, "Because I don't want to go back!"

Darren watched as Alicia fell on her knees and plants her face on the side of his bed, sobbing uncontrollably in despair. He frowned as he gently places his hand on her head.

"I just…I really don't want to go back…" Alicia struggled to speak between her sobs. "If I do…I'll just be a prisoner under my parents' control…but if I stay here…if I stay with Brave Vesperia…I can live the rest of my life as an environmentalist…exploring new worlds…plants…and wildlife…just what I've always dreamt of!"

As Alicia continues to cry, Darren strokes her head in a vain attempt to comfort her. He lets out a heavy sigh and responded, "I…I'm so sorry, Alicia. I wish I could help you…I really do." Alicia looked up at Darren with tearstained eyes after she finally managed to bring her sobs to a halt.

"And what about you? You said back at the dam…that you wish you could have been a better son and friend." Alicia asked softly, ending it with a sniff. Darren looks back up at the ceiling and briefly bites down on his lower lip.

"I…I never got along with my father. But it was my own fault that things turn out that way. My father was very strict, always wanting me to grow up, be mature and become a better person as I'm about to enter adulthood. But I was ignorant. I was playful, mischievous…and uncaring." Darren explained. Alicia stares wordlessly at Darren, surprised to hear a side of her friend that she never thought he would be.

"I was a really bad person, to the point that I…ended up joining a gang in school." Darren continued. "But there was someone in my class who actually cared for me. His name was Wahid. Even though I was rude and cold towards everyone in my class, Wahid just…follows me around, asking me what kind of person I am, what things I like, and so on. I kept ignoring him at first. But eventually, somehow, he did it. He actually managed to break through the icy shell of my heart…and before I knew it, I…actually formed a connection with him." Darren chuckled for a moment. "We truly became friends afterwards. And for a while, I felt as if I finally found my happiness, and a reason to live."

"What happened to Wahid?" Alicia asked. Darren remained silent for a few moments as he frowned again. But eventually, he managed to regain control of his vocal cords and answered her question.

"But then, one day at school…my gang planned on attacking Wahid. Apparently, the leader said that Wahid, being the Good Samaritan he is, reported him to the principal after spotting him doing something against the rules within the school premises. He was really pissed off with what he did, and that's why he and the gang want to get their petty revenge on him. I couldn't believe it was actually Wahid that they were after. And because I was a member of the gang, I was unfortunately obligated to follow them." Darren explained. "When the gang and I found him after school, the leader proceeds to beat him up. And Wahid…" He paused to take a deep breath. "Actually begged me to help him. But..." He stopped again to take a gulp. "I can't. I couldn't disobey my leader. So in the end, Wahid was beaten up horribly by my gang…" Small tears began to brim in his eyes as Darren grits his teeth. "While his useless friend…just stand there…watching…and doing nothing. Eventually, the gang and I were caught by the teachers…and we all got suspended from school for a week. And if that wasn't enough…during my suspension, when my father came home one night…he just collapsed on the floor. My mother and I quickly took him to the hospital where the doctor told us that he had been suffering from leukaemia, and we failed to notice it sooner. My mother and I did everything we could to save him. But in the end…it was all for naught. My father died three months later. And when I return to school…I tried to beg for forgiveness…but Wahid never spoke to me again. I have lost both a father…and a friend." As Darren couldn't hold back his tears anymore, he closes his eyes and lets out a yell of sorrow and frustration, "And I have no one to blame by myself!"

Alicia silently gazed at him as Darren began crying in inconsolable grief, with her expression is badly distorted by the emotional pain that tore through her heart. During her time with Darren in Earth Land, he had proven to her that he is a kind and caring person who is determined to become a stronger fighter to protect his friends, and willing to help someone in need as he had shown with her and Allelujah. But learning that he used to be a terrible person who disobeys his parents and betrayed his friends had somewhat soiled her knowledge of him. Even though Darren had expressed regret over what he had done, a sane person would naturally never show forgiveness and sympathy to someone who had done such horrible things in the past again. But Alicia still couldn't help but feel conflicted over Darren. Should she continue being his friend, or join the rest of society in turning their back on someone who has committed such unforgivable actions?

"Darren, I-"

"Alicia…" Darren replied flatly as he furiously brought his sobs to a halt. "Just don't. I think…you should just…stay away from me."

"But Darren-"

"Did you hear me?!" Darren shouted unhappily. "Don't ever go near a monster like me ever again!"

Alicia grits her teeth and clenches her fists. Without any second thoughts, Alicia leans over to Darren and gently wraps her arms around his shoulders again, much to his surprise.

"No. I'm staying with you." Alicia said softly as she rests her head against his.

"W-why?" Darren asked as he slightly turns his head to her, not caring that a stray tear had rolled down his cheek. "Why would you still stay…even after what I've done?"

"I know what you did may be unforgivable." Alicia whispered as she closes her eyelids. "But right now…you need somebody to comfort you. Someone whom you can lean on after going through such a horrible ordeal. Until I met Karol and his guild, I long for that feeling as well after I lost my brother and hopes of achieving my dream career. Now…I'm going to help you too."

Darren stares at Alicia in awe for a moment before he closes his eyes and leans his head against hers, letting themselves stayed in their warm and silent embrace.

"Thank you…" Darren whispered to her. He could feel Alicia slightly nods her head in response.

"Count us in as well." Natsu suddenly spoke up, causing Medea to turn around and see him and Lucy standing behind her. Darren and Alicia snap their eyes open and are equally surprised to see them inside the clinic.

"Natsu? Lucy?" Darren said to them incredulously.

"What are you guys doing here? And how long have you been here?" Alicia inquired.

"Actually, we stepped in here a while ago." Lucy replied as she grabs hold of her left upper arm with her right hand. "And…Natsu and heard everything you two said to each other."

"So you're from Earth, just like Darren huh?" Natsu asked Alicia

"Yes." Alicia nods her head in shame. "Sorry I didn't tell you all earlier."

Natsu and Lucy walk into the room and go over to the sides of Darren's bed. Lucy gave a tender smile to Alicia as she places her hand on her back, while Natsu, who stood at the other side of the bed, grins at Darren as he firmly places his hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay Darren. We're still going to stay by your side no matter what." Natsu said to Darren reassuringly.

"What?" Darren replied incredulously. "I…don't understand. How can you guys accept me so easily, despite what I've done back on Earth?"

"Remember Gajeel and Juvia? They too have committed bad things in the past when they were members of Phantom Lord. But they have since redeemed themselves and truly became our friends." Lucy replied. "And it's not just them either. Throughout my time with Fairy Tail, I have encountered many people who started out as enemies of our guild. But they have since learnt the error of their ways, and apologize to us for what they did. And no matter how bad they were, and how much damage they have caused to us and our guild, we still forgive them. Because in Fairy Tail, we believe that friendship and unity is power. And friendship and unity is always achieved through forgiveness and understanding."

"And that's why we believe you can change too, Darren." Natsu added with a smirk. "And you've already proven that to us by enduring Erza's training and helping Allelujah regain his self-confidence, right?"

A few more stray tears roll down his cheeks as Darren continued staring wordlessly at Natsu. The Fire Dragon Slayer gave a gentle pat on Darren's shoulder before he continued, "We ain't giving up on you yet, Darren. And you shouldn't either."

Darren turns his head to Lucy and Alicia, who both smiled at him as well. Eventually, Darren's lips finally curved into a wide smile as more tears began to form in his eyes.

"Thank you, all of you." Darren uttered to everyone around him.

"Darren, I don't know if this will make you feel better. But I know how it feels to live your life with an unbearable amount of guilt." Medea spoke up. Darren wipes away his tears as he, Alicia, Lucy and Natsu stare at her questioningly.

"What do you mean?" Darren asked.

"It's hard to believe. But back in France, I have committed many murders on people who ruined my life, and those who were innocent." Medea said grimly.

"France?" Alicia said as her eyes widened.

Medea nods her head. "Just like you, Darren and Alicia, I am from Earth. And I was teleported to Earth Land while I was serving my indefinite life sentence in a prison in Paris."

"Ooohh, so you are the one named 'Madison', who told the Magic Council that she is from Paris." Natsu said in realization.

"Because I have killed so many people, and broke the hearts of their relatives, I was prepared to live the rest of my life behind bars, in guilt and shame. But when I was teleported into this world, I took this opportunity to start anew. To make up for all of my past sins by becoming a Rune Knight, who fights for justice and protect the innocent. And while it will never bring back the lives of those who I've killed, I can at least find peace knowing that I've outgrown my past self ever since." Medea explained. "Darren Leong, I hope you too will find your peace as well."

After contemplating what Medea had told him, Darren nods his head and replied solemnly, "Thank you Medea. I hope so too."

"Good luck Darren." Medea said with a warm smile. "And look out for your new friends as well. The people whom you are connected with are always worth cherishing."

* * *

The next day, Darren, Alicia, Sheena, Yuri, Team Natsu and Brave Vesperia are now on board Noel's ship and preparing to continue their journey to Mizuho by sailing through the Spiegel River, now that the passageway through Loegres is opened again. They are surprised to see the mayor and the residents of Port Zekson standing at the side of the river, preparing to bid farewell to their heroes.

"Everyone! Let us bid farewell to our liberators and wish them all good luck in their fight against the Abbey!" The mayor proclaimed with a wide smile. The townspeople cheered and wave goodbye to them. Among the crowd, Medea and Makoto simply smiled as they look up at them on the ship while Eleanor, Alisha and Nullpudding, who grits his teeth furiously, kneel down in front of them with their cuffed wrists placed behind their backs.

"Goodbye everyone!" Lucy cried to everyone in the town as she and her friends wave their hands back at them.

"Stay safe and strong!" Wendy added.

"Thanks for your hospitality!" Karol shouted.

"We promise to kick the Abbey's butts once and for all!" Natsu yelled enthusiastically.

A few seconds later, Darren, Alicia, Sheena, Yuri, Team Natsu and Brave Vesperia felt the ship starting to move. The townspeople cheered even louder as they watch the heroes begin to make their departure.

As Noel steps out of the quarterdeck and enters the front deck of the ship, everyone turn to her as the Rune Knight asked, "Are you ready to continue your journey to Mizuho?"

"You bet we are!" Natsu grins at her as he holds up his clenched fist. Lucy, Wendy, Gray, Erza, Happy and Carla nod their heads as they smile confidently at Noel.

"And thank you for joining and providing us transport, Noel." Alicia said with gratitude.

"Wait? Transport?" Natsu said incredulously with his eyes wide in shock as he lowers his fist.

"Um, yeah. Can you see we are on a boat?" Alicia said to him.

"Oh no…" Natsu groaned as the colour of his skin drained.

"Oh dear." Lucy lets her arms hang limply at her sides as Natsu proceeds to run over to the empty barrel placed at the other side of the ship and throw out the contents. Everybody else present on the deck sigh heavily.

"Anyways, it is my pleasure, Alicia." Noel said to Alicia. "And you can thank Erza too. She was the one who requested me to come along with all of you."

"I requested her to travel with us because at the end of our last mission, Noel used the Fairy Sphere to protect us from getting drowned." Erza explained to everyone present on the deck. Gray, Wendy and Carla gasped.

"Fairy Sphere?" Estelle said in confusion.

"It is the same magic skill that our guild's founder, Mavis Vermillion, ever used." Lucy replied to her.

"Lucy also once used the Fairy Sphere during our second fight against Acnologia. So the magic skill has a close connection to our guild." Happy added.

"And even though it is all still speculation, we believe that because Noel is able to perform the Fairy Sphere, she does have some connection to Mavis and our guild after all." Erza said, ending it by turning her head to Noel.

"Even though I still believe that I only share her last name and not her flesh and blood, I'm still willing to join all of you in finding Mavis, because I need to confirm with her if we are truly related to each other." Noel said.

"Then welcome to the group, Noel." Gray said to her with a warm smile. Noel nods her head as she smiles back at him.

"But what about your friends, Medea and Makoto?" Yuri asked.

"We've already contacted the Magic Council to provide transportation for Medea and Makoto to bring them and the prisoners back to Era. Eleanor Hume, Alisha Diphda and Nullpudding will be brought to questioning, the latter will obviously face far worse consequences than any other praetor we've captured before." Noel said, winking an eye at him.

"I guess there's nothing left to worry about then." Darren said. After Natsu finished throwing out his contents, he lifts his head up and turns back to everyone present on the deck.

"Then let's continue our mission to find Mavis, travel to Mizuho and take down the Abbey once and for all!" Natsu shouted ecstatically as he throws his fist up into the air once again.

"YEEEAAAHHH!" Everybody on the deck raised their fists and cheered as well.

After lowering their arms, Darren and Alicia look back and smile at each other. Sheena, who stood nearby, sighs inwardly and turns her head away from them. Erza and Noel walk over to her and the former gave her a pat on her shoulder.

"Come on Sheena." Erza said to Sheena, causing her to lift her head up and stare back at her. "Lead the way to Mizuho."

Sheena manages to crack a wan smile at Erza and nods her head. "Understood."

As everyone proceeds to head inside the interior of the ship, they are completely unaware that someone is following them. Following the ship from behind by a few kilometres apart is a small boat, driven by a certain woman with long black hair and gold-brown eyes, currently dressed in a dark brown cloak with a hood over her head.

With one hand controlling the engine of her boat, Velvet murmured as she gazes at the ship with a solemn frown, "Wait for me, Fairy Tail."

* * *

Meanwhile, Mala Makra breathed heavily with sweat furiously trickling down the sides of his head. He is currently inside a dark room, lying on a metal table with his helmet and armour removed, and his arms and legs restrained by metal clamps.

Mala turns his head side to side and trying to move his limbs in vain until he heard the door opened. Mala froze in horror as he slowly turns his head to the front. His eyes widened and his mouth agape as a woman, dressed in brown clothing and her black hair tied to a bun, approaches him. Her lips curved up into a malicious smirk as she adjusts her glasses.

"You're in for a real treat today, my precious subject." The woman said amusingly before she slowly holds up a syringe.

As the woman advanced upon him, Mala could only let out a scream of horror which echoes throughout the room and hallways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's finally the end of the _'Grievances'_ story arc. I hope you all enjoy it and stay tune for the next chapter!


	20. The Maid of Zinnia, Part 1

Just only a day after leaving Port Zekson and sailing through Loegres, Team Natsu and the others find themselves stopping at the side of the river. The main reason why they are taking a break from their journey is because…well…the ship has ran out of fuel and Noel has forgotten to buy coal for its engines, even after all the time she and her squad spent on Port Zekson. Luckily, Lucy discovered from her map that the small town of Zinnia is located nearby from where they have parked their ship.

After the ship came to a halt at the side of the river, Team Natsu, Brave Vesperia, Darren, Alicia, Sheena step outside while the remaining member of Noel's squad stays behind.

"I'll stay here to guard the ship. You go on ahead and get the coal for us, ma'am." The Rune Knight said to Noel as they stood at the port of the ship.

"Thank you, Emmanuel." Noel nods her head to the brown-haired man. Emmanuel smirks as he slightly lifts up his cap and nods back to his superior. Afterwards, Noel turns around, walks down the ramp and rejoins the others.

"HOORAY FOR LAND! HOORAY FOR LAND! HOORAY FOR LAND! HOORAY FOR LAND!" Natsu and Happy both dance and pump their fists and paws into the air, the former expressing his relief that he is no longer standing in a moving vehicle. Lucy gazes at her map while the others watch Natsu and Happy in bewilderment.

"How old is Natsu again?" Darren asked Gray.

"Chronologically 400 years old, but he definitely still holds the brain of a 10-year-old even after all those years." Gray replied.

Alicia chuckled before folding her arms. "Come on, you guys. Let them have their fun. We gotta enjoy as much as we can before our next inevitable fight with the Abbey."

"Well," Darren shrugged. "At least it's still a lot more fun than listening to Erza's lectures."

As Darren and Alicia laughed at each other, Sheena silently stares at them with a solemn frown before turning her head to Lucy.

"So where's the town?" Sheena asked Lucy softly.

"It's at the northeast direction, about 4 miles away from our current location. So we'll probably reach there by foot in 15 minutes." Lucy replied to Sheena as she carefully folds her map and puts it into her pocket.

"Alright. Then let's keep going." Erza said.

"This way, everyone!" Lucy cried to everyone as she raises her hand and begins walking her way to the direction of the town.

As everyone begins following Lucy from behind, Sheena also notices Karol and Wendy conversing with each other. She turns her head to Yuri and Estelle when she heard the former's deadpanned voice.

"Oh great, more walking. Never experienced that before." Yuri said dryly with his hands behind his head.

"Don't worry, Yuri. It's only fifteen minutes before we reach town." Estelle said encouragingly as she gave a pat on Yuri's back.

Sheena sighs sadly as she lowers her head. A moment later, she looks back up and began following the others from behind when someone suddenly nudge her arm with her elbow, much to her surprise. She turns her head and to see Erza standing beside her.

"Hey, what's up?" Erza asked the troubled woman.

"Well…" Sheena murmured as her eyes softened. "Do you think I'm a burden to all of you? I mean it was my fault that our last mission didn't go as we planned." Erza smiled warmly at her as she places her hand on Sheena's shoulder.

"Stop thinking negatively about yourself and move forward." Erza said calmly to her. "I used to be just like you. Back then, I hated myself for not being strong enough to save my friends who were also slaves like me, so I stayed away from others during my early days as a member of Fairy Tail. But I have since been able to move on thanks to the kindness that the guild had shown me. If you had any problems, you can always share with me, or anybody else. Got it?"

Sheena could only nod her head silently in response. Erza gestures her to follow the others from behind and make their way to Zinnia.

Unbeknownst to everyone, Velvet was kneeling on a large branch of a nearby tree and watching them under the shadows the whole time. She turns her gaze away from them for a moment to contemplate what she had heard Erza said.

"Move forward, huh?" Velvet murmured to herself. When she looks back and watches Team Natsu and the others walking away, Velvet began leaping stealthily from tree to tree, secretly following them from behind.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, everyone arrived at Zinnia, which is a small town surrounded by tall trees, and it consists of several small houses and apartment buildings made of bricks being built closely to each other, as well as a large church located in the middle of the town square. At the outskirts of Zinnia, there are several farmhouses with large vegetable and wheat fields that help provide food and resources for the town.

Team Natsu and the others look around the houses and the buildings in awe and astonishment as they walk through the streets of Zinnia. Their balconies and exteriors are decorated with flowers and bushes, and long garlands and flag lines are hung from one rooftop to another on the other side, bringing exotic life and beauty to this small and peaceful town.

"This place sure is lively." Noel commented.

"Probably because the Harvest Festival is coming tomorrow." Erza said.

"Oh right!" Lucy cried in realization. "We were so focused on fighting against the Abbey and making our way to Mizuho for the last two months until I forgot all about the holiday."

"Harvest Festival is the time of the year when all the crops the people have grown throughout the year have been harvested, and they hold a celebration to commemorate their hard work, right?" Darren asked Erza.

"That's right." Erza nodded to him.

"We have similar festivities back in our world." Darren said to his mentor before turning to Alicia. "Right, Alicia?"

"Right. My country experiences the harvest festival in the autumn season every year." Alicia said. "We celebrate by sharing our food and drinks with our friends and neighbors, and give prayers to each other, wishing for another safe and wonderful year ahead."

"How do you guys celebrate the festival?" Darren asked the members of Team Natsu.

"Back in Magnolia, we hold a parade where we show off our magic abilities to the public." Natsu said with a grin.

"And we also hold a beauty competition, known as the Miss Fairy Tail Beauty Contest, among all the women in our guild." Lucy added.

"I wish I could see that." Darren murmured. Alicia responded by giving a look of annoyance and a hard nudge on his upper arm, much to Darren's surprise. "Hey!"

"That's very interesting. Makes me wish I could be a member of your guild so that I can show off my body too." Judith smirked as she rubs her chin.

"I wish you won't." Erza mumbled while staring at Judith's chest. Estelle and Noel stare down at their own chests and sigh disappointingly.

When she heard a door opened, Alicia turns her head and sees a middle-aged woman walking out of her floral shop with a watering can and going over to her small flower bed grown outside of her store. Alicia widens her eyes as a huge smile takes form on her face. She rushes over to the flower bed, causing the others to stop and watch her. As the store owner waters her flowers, Alicia kneels down in front of the flower bed to take a closer look.

"They look so beautiful." Alicia commented.

"Why thank you so much." The store owner replied to her with a warm smile as she watered her plants.

"I'm guessing these flowers are gypsophila, right?" Alicia inquired, pointing her finger at some small white flowers.

"Yes, they are." The store owner responded.

Alicia turns her vision to some orange and yellow flowers. She leans her head over to the flowers and smells them. She lets out a blissful sigh after embracing the fragrance of the flowers and said, "And these must be-"

"Marigold." Darren said as he walks over to the flower bed. As Alicia turns her head to him, Darren kneels besides her and said, "The orange ones are Petite Mixed, while the yellow ones, those that are shaped like spheres are Sierra Yellow. And the ones that have frilly petals are Petite Yellow."

"You're absolutely right!" Alicia said in astonishment. "I didn't know you have some knowledge in flowers, Darren."

"Well, my parents run a flowering and fertilizer business back in Singapore." Darren said, smiling back at Alicia.

The store owner chortled at Alicia and Darren and commented, "My, oh my, such a sweet couple who share the same interests and knowledge."

Both Alicia and Darren chuckled in response as their cheeks blush while the others smile at them as they watch from a distance.

"It's good to know that they are feeling better than before." Natsu said as he folds his arms.

"And it's so sweet seeing them together." Lucy added as she places her hands behind her back. She and Natsu turn to each other and smile before the latter looks back at Darren and Alicia. Unbeknownst to Natsu, as Lucy turns her head away from him, she stares down at the brick road and blushes at the thoughts of she and the Fire Dragon Slayer possibly ending up being a couple just like them.

"Ah…" Estelle sighs blissfully. "Young love."

"Hey, don't jump the gun, Estelle." Yuri said to Estelle as he stood beside her.

Estelle giggled before turning to Yuri. "But every time I see these two together, they make me jealous. I on the other hand couldn't even think about settling down with anyone because of my job."

"Have you ever thought of settling down, Mr. Lowell?" Wendy asked Yuri.

"Never once in my life." Yuri shrugged.

"Ugh, no wonder why you're miserable all the time!" Estelle pouts at Yuri.

"Shut up!" Yuri yelled at her in annoyance.

"Hee hee hee, you two fight each other like an old married couple." Happy commented before turning to Erza. "And I bet seeing Darren and Alicia together also make you think of your relationship with Jellal, right Er-"

Suddenly, the exceed is cut off when Erza and Yuri both kick him directly under his chin and send him flying into the air.

"HAPPY!" Natsu cried in horror as Happy lets out a wail while plummeting through the air. Carla and Lucy shake their heads with their arms folded.

Meanwhile, Velvet, who is standing on the rooftop of a nearby building with her hands placed at the sides of her hip, stares at Team Natsu and the others from above in bewilderment.

"Does the number 1 guild in all of Fiore always act like this on a regular basis?" Velvet said to herself with an arched eyebrow.

* * *

Team Natsu and the others continue walking further into Zinnia until they arrived at the town square. They see several stalls set up along the boundaries of the area, selling all sorts of flowers, gardening tools and other equipment. In the middle of it all, there are a trio of musicians playing a sitar, flute and violin, and there are a few children and adults dancing to the music.

"Thank you very much, kind lady." An old man said to Erza as he takes her money as payment for the bread that she had bought from him.

"You're welcome." Erza replied to the merchant with a smile just as Darren, Alicia, Sheena and the other members of Team Natsu walk over to her. She turns around and asked them, "Have you found any stall that sells coal?"

"Unfortunately no. And it seems Noel and the others aren't able to find any as well." Gray reported to her.

"Coal, you say?" The merchant said to them. "Unfortunately, the grocery stores in our town are closed today on the eve of the holiday. But maybe you can ask the people in the church. They also use coal every day to light up their furnaces."

Erza and the others smile at each other before she bows her head to the merchant. "Thank you again, sir." She said.

"Don't mention it." The old man smiled at them.

* * *

Two priests slowly open the large pair of wooden doors, allowing Team Natsu and the others to step into the town's church. Their footsteps echoed throughout the interior of the church as they walk their way through the nave and towards the altar. They look around and see a few people sitting at the benches with their heads bowed, whispering their prayers as they clasp their hands together.

When they arrived at the front of the church, they are greeted by an old man, dressed in white robes and a mitre on his head, standing in front of the altar.

"Welcome to our glorious church. What is your purpose here?" The priest inquired the visitors.

"Well, we are-" Erza tried to speak, but the priest rudely interrupted and continued.

"Are you all here to make confessions?" The priest asked.

"Not really-" Erza tried to reply with a look of annoyance, but she finds herself interrupted by the old man again.

"Then come, sinner!" The priest proclaimed as he stares heavenward and raises his hands up in the air. "And repent your wicked deeds!"

"Do we really have time for this?" Yuri grumbled under his breath.

"You think we have committed things that are deemed wicked?" Natsu asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Yes." The priest boomed as he looks back at Natsu. "When I look at your vestment…such inappropriate clothes that expose your chest and torso…I can tell your sins are many and deep!"

"Even a priest would admire a man's chest and abs?" Sheena murmured as she turns her head away with her cheeks blushing crimson.

"Well, I admit that I have caused a lot of trouble for myself and my friends in the past." Natsu said as he scratches his head.

"Then you must acknowledge your misdeeds and confess them right in this very place." The priest said to him calmly. "By confronting your sinful urges, you will be empowered to resist them."

"So all I just need is to confess all the bad things I've done?" Natsu asked.

"Yes, confess your darkest sins, my child, assured that none is beyond the forgiveness of our creators." The priest said.

"Very well. One time at Hargeon, while stopping someone who is tarnishing my guild's name, I ended up destroying a huge portion of the city." Natsu admitted as he folds his arms.

"Huh?" The priest said incredulously with his eyes widened.

"Then I also once burst through the Magic Council's Branch in Fiore in an attempt to rescue Erza, which only ends up having me and her being locked up in jail." Natsu added, shrugging his shoulders.

"You damaged one of the Magic Council's properties?! That's awful!" The priest cried in horror.

"Then my friends and I once invaded Phantom Lord's headquarters as revenge for attacking three of our guildmates. Oh and I also damaged a cathedral during a fight with a fellow guildmate who was a real bastard back then, my friends and I once held a king hostage in another world, acted as a  _'Great demon-lord'_  who took away everyone's magic over there, stole King Fiore's clothes and impersonated as him, melted the arena in Crocus and even set the King's palace on fire!" Natsu explained.

"I…I…" The priest struggled to speak, surprised to hear the multitude of crimes Natsu has committed throughout his lifetime.

"Oh and let's not forget all the times I have seen my fellow female guildmates naked in baths and placed ourselves in awkward positions!" Natsu grins as he places his fists at the sides of his hips. Lucy, Erza and Wendy shuddered at the thoughts.

"We need to get pass that." Lucy said uneasily.

"Lucky guy." Darren murmured before he turns his head to Alicia. He gasped in horror as he sees the dark glare on her face.

"So what do you think? Will the creators ever forgive me?" Natsu asked the priest.

"I, er, um…the only way you can be redeemed is if you turn yourself to the Magic Council and be locked up in jail for all of eternity!" The priest cried in terror, jabbing a shaking finger at Natsu.

"No way!" Natsu stomps his foot and furiously yelled back at him. "I defeated a dragon! So no way some boring old jail is going to contain me for the rest of my life!"

"AAAAAAAHHHH!" The priest screamed in sheer terror as he turns and runs away to the back of the church, fleeing away from the pink-haired demon with his precious life. "An exorcist! I need an exorcist to bring judgment down on this sinner!"

"Well, that went…just as I expected." Erza said with an arched eyebrow.

Natsu huffed as he folds his arms. "What's the deal with that old geezer?"

"Did I overhear him calling for an exorcist again?"

Team Natsu and the others turn their heads to the other side of the church to see a woman walking over to them. She appears to be a short woman with purple eyes, long blonde hair that is tied to a braid, with its end tied with a purple ribbon, and dressed in purple robes and black boots.

"Well, um," Lucy replied nervously. "One of the priests thinks Natsu is an extremely sinful person-"

The woman chortled as she stood before them. "Never mind him. Even our high priest is annoyed by his presence. Anyways, I've never seen you people around here before. Are you all travelers?"

"Yes. We are stopping by this place for a while before continuing our journey." Karol said.

"Then welcome to our glorious church of Zinnia. How may I help you?" The blonde-haired woman asked.

"We would like to buy coal for our ship. Does your church have any?" Noel asked.

"Indeed we do at the bottom of the church." The woman replied. "How much do you need?"

"Well, I'm not sure if you can handle this but…" Noel took a gulp before giving the woman the hard answer. "30,000 kilograms of charcoal?"

"You got it! I'll let our high priest know about this!" The woman replied cheerfully, much to the bewilderment of Noel, Team Natsu and the others. "At the meantime, make yourselves at home in this town. Or you can even stay here for the next few days and celebrate the Harvest Festival with us."

As the woman turns around and walks away to inform the high priest of the church, Erza and Karol turn to each other as the latter said to the red-haired woman, "I guess it wouldn't hurt to stay here for a while and watch the celebration."

"I agree. Even though we are still at war, it's nice for us to settle down and celebrate the holidays once in a while." Erza said.

"Then I'll inform Emmanuel and find a place for us to stay." Noel said. "Hopefully, this small town has an inn to provide hospitality for more than ten people. Pay the charcoal for me first and I promise to reimburse you."

"Thank you, Lieutenant." Erza said to her. Noel nods her head to her before she turns and makes her way out of the church.

"Well, since we are staying here for a while, why don't we have a walk around the town?" Estelle suggested to Karol, Judith and Yuri.

"I agree!" Judith replied cheerfully.

"Sounds great!" Karol added with a grin.

"I'll pass." Yuri said dully as he turns his head away. Estelle pouts at him and grabs his arm. "What, hey!"

"Oh no! You need to stop being grumpy and embrace the tranquility of the outside world every once in a while! Now let's go!" Estelle chided as she escorts Yuri out of the church.

"Why are you so persistent?!" Yuri yelled in annoyance as he is helplessly dragged away by Estelle.

"And why are you so stuck-up?!" Estelle snapped back, clinging tightly onto his arm. Karol and Judith chuckled as they follow them from behind.

"What about you guys?" Darren asked the members of Team Natsu. "What are you all planning to do?"

"We'll wait for the priests to collect the right amount of charcoal for us. After that, we'll carry them all the way back to ship before regrouping with the rest of you." Erza replied to him just as the woman returned back to them. This time, she is accompanied by a shorter girl who is dressed in black cloak and a hood over her head which conceals her hair and eyes, but everyone could see she has scars across her right cheek and underneath her left eye.

"Good news." The blonde-haired woman said to them. "The high priest said we have the required amount of the charcoal you all wanted. So please wait patiently while we gather them for you."

"That's great. How much will it be?" Erza inquired.

"About 15 million jewels." The woman said. Erza holds up her finger and swings it down vertically through the air, bringing up a menu between her and the woman. The woman watched in awe as Erza taps a few buttons before bringing up the total amount of jewels she has in her possession. Darren widens his eyes and drops his jaw upon seeing the amount of money. Although the currency would be rendered useless back in his world, Darren couldn't stop gushing over his thoughts on how many video games and anime figures he could buy with that amount of money. After typing the exact amount of money, Erza presses the 'withdraw' icon and a large bag of jewels magically appeared in her other hand. She swings her finger up, putting away the menu, and hands the bag of jewels to the woman.

"Thank you very much." The woman bows her head to Erza before turning to the shorter girl. "Hand this bag of money to the high priest for me, will you?"

"Yes Jeanne." The girl replied softly as she takes the bag of jewels from her. As the girl walks away with the money, Jeanne turns back to Darren, Alicia, Sheena and the members of Team Natsu.

"So your name is Jeanne." Lucy said to the blonde-haired woman.

"Yes, that is correct." Jeanne nods her head. "Now that you have made your payment and currently waiting for your goods, what else would you like to do here in this church? Make a confession? Trying to find inner peace, perhaps?"

"Well, I don't really have anything to confess. I've made peace with my father a long time ago." Lucy said as she rubs the back of her neck.

"I've also make up with my friends who were slaves like me back in the Tower of Heaven." Erza said.

"I've made peace with my father, guardian and Lyon years ago too." Gray admitted, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"I…don't really have anything that I've problems with." Wendy said, smiling sheepishly with her hands placed behind her back.

"Me too." Happy added.

"Well, your name isn't Happy for nothing." Carla deadpanned.

"After what happened earlier, I ain't doing it again." Natsu grumbled with his arms folded.

"Actually, I do have something to confess." Darren said grimly to Jeanne with his hand raised. "And I wish to talk it out."

"So do I." Alicia said with her eyes softened.

Sheena nods her head before stepping forward. "Me too."

Jeanne places her hands behind her back and bows her head to them before gesturing them to sit down on the nearest bench. "Take a seat."

Darren, Alicia and Sheena obliged as they walk over to the bench and sit down. Unaware to everyone, Velvet is standing behind the doorway at the side of the church, covertly watching them.

"Who are you?"

Velvet gasped and whirls about, seeing that the voice belonged to a small boy with chin length dark blonde hair, light green eyes and dressed in white robes.

"Would you like to have a prayer like these people over there?" The boy asked curiously.

"I, er, um…" Velvet panicked, struggling to answer the boy's question. Without second thoughts, Velvet kneels down to his level and places her hand in front of his mouth, much to the boy's surprise. "Listen to me, stay silent and don't ever utter a word about me. Please?"

Seeing the woman's pleading eyes, the boy wordlessly nods his head in response. Velvet lets out a heavy sigh before removing her hand from the boy's mouth, stood up and looked back at Darren, Jeanne and the others.

"Speak now before the creators. What would you like to confess?" Jeanne said calmly as she stood in front of the three. Darren, Alicia and Sheena quietly glance at the large stained glass windows at the front of the church before they lower their heads and stare down at the wooden floor.

"I failed to be both a good friend and son. I chose not to help a friend when he was in a dire situation, and I also blamed myself for not cherishing my time with my father before he inevitably passed away. I never had a chance to make amends for what I've done to them and I lived my life in guilt and sorrow ever since." Darren admitted to Jeanne with downcast eyes.

"For me, I failed to keep my promise to my brother." Alicia said grimly. "Before he died, he encouraged me to follow my dreams and what I desire to do for my future. But after he passed, being the weak girl that I still am, I was completely helpless without his presence. I failed to stand up against my parents who were controlling my life, wanting me to take over their business after their eldest child had died. But I was scared. I didn't have the courage to fight back, to tell them not to control me like a puppet even though they are my parents. Tell them that if my brother was still alive, is this really what he wanted them to do to their youngest child?"

"As for me…" Sheena remained silent for a moment as her hands on her thighs curl up into fists. Eventually, she closes her eyelids and spoke dishearteningly, "I failed to uphold my responsibilities to my people…and as a result, I've caused so much pain and sorrow to everyone. And instead of apologizing, and making up for what I've done, I ended up being a coward, fleeing from home and the people who depended on me. And now, here I am, travelling around the world with my new friends to get away from my problems, while everyone back at home are still suffering. I truly am a selfish person."

"Sheena…" Lucy murmured as she and the other members of Team Natsu stare grimly at Sheena, Darren and Alicia.

As she continued hiding behind the doorway, Velvet clenched her jaw shut and places a quivering hand on her chest upon hearing Sheena's confession. Despite being her enemy, Velvet couldn't help but empathize with Sheena, for she too had committed a similar mistake in the past. An irredeemable mistake that Velvet will never find a way to make up for what she had done, and that sadly, her only solution is to run away and condemn herself for the rest of her life, which was why she joined the Abbey in the first place as a pathetic attempt to alleviate her guilt over her past sins. Velvet closes her eyes, feeling sick and ashamed of herself just thinking about it.

"Are you alright?" The boy asked Velvet in concern. Without looking back at him, Velvet shakes her head in response. The boy proceeds and wraps his arms around her torso, much to her surprise.

Meanwhile, Jeanne lowers her head, closes her eyelids, clasps her hands together and places them in front of her chest. There was a minute of painful silence between her, Darren, Alicia and Sheena before she opens her eyes and lifts her head back up.

"Hear the good news, troubled souls." Jeanne said to the three as she lowers her arms. "The creators have offered you all their blessings, support and mercy. Let us wish that with this newfound sense of hope that they have bestowed upon you, all of you will find the ray of light that expels and shines through the darkness within your hearts, and open a brand new chapter in your lives. Rise, Darren Leong, Alicia Ribery, and Sheena Fujibayashi."

Darren, Alicia and Sheena stood up from the bench and open their eyes to see Jeanne smiling tenderly at them. The three didn't realize that they are crying until they felt their tears rolling down their cheeks. They wipe away their tears before turning their heads to see the members of Team Natsu walking over to them. Lucy, Natsu, Erza, Gray, Wendy, Happy and Carla smile at the three before they proceed to pull Darren, Alicia and Sheena into a warm embrace.

"You're lucky to have such caring friends. Cherish them as much as you can." Jeanne said to the three. Darren, Alicia and Sheena close their eyes again as they find themselves hugging Team Nastu back.

Meanwhile, the boy said soothingly to Velvet as he rests his head on her back, "Don't be sad, troubled soul. You may think that the world is cold and dark right now, but always remember that when there is darkness, there is always light. And believe that somewhere down the road, you will find love and hope once again."

Velvet wordlessly looks back at the boy for a moment before tears began forming in her eyes. She grits her teeth and collapses onto the ground as she begins to weep. The boy kept his warm embrace around her as he kneels down on the floor, comforting her as he felt Velvet's trembling body.

After backing away from their friends, Darren, Alicia and Sheena turn to each other and laugh cheerfully. They and Team Natsu look back at Jeanne and bow their heads to her.

"Thank you very much, Jeanne." Darren said to Jeanne gratefully.

"You're welcome, Darren Leong." Jeanne smiled back at him as she tilts her head to the side.

"What is your full name by the way?" Alicia asked Jeanne.

"I am Jeanne d'Arc." Jeanne introduced herself as she places her hand on her chest. "It is truly a pleasure to meet all of you."

Darren and Alicia stares back at her dumbfounded for a moment before they burst out into laughter.

"What is it?" Jeanne asked them in confusion.

"Sorry." Alicia said apologetically after she and Darren managed to bring their laughter to a halt. "It's just that…you actually bear the same name as a certain historical figure back in our world."

"Although the difference between you two is that the one in our world also goes by the name 'Joan of Arc'." Darren explained.

Jeanne lets out a soft gasp. "Joan of Arc…" Darren and Alicia gape their mouths open as they and the others see her clutching the side of her head with a hand. "I haven't heard that name in ages…ever since I was burnt on the stake by-"

"The English and the Burgundians?!" Darren and Alicia cried incredulously.

Jeanne lifts her head up and looks back at Darren and Alicia in surprise. "How did you know?"

Darren and Alicia gasped and widen their eyes. "I don't believe it." Alicia said in astonishment before planting her hands in front of her mouth.

"She is real…" Darren uttered.

"Who?" Natsu asked him and Alicia with an arched eyebrow.

"Guys!" Darren cried to Sheena and Team Natsu as he and Alicia turn around. They point their fingers at Jeanne as he said, "Do you know who she is?!"

"She's Joan of Arc! The Maid of Orleans and the heroine of all of France!" Alicia exclaimed.

There was an awkward moment of silence within the church before Lucy asked in confusion, "Who?"

Darren and Alicia stood up straight and cough before giving Sheena and Team Natsu their very own history lesson.

"Jeanne d'Arc, also known as Joan of Arc by the English, is considered the heroine of France for her role during the Lancastrian Phase of the Hundred Years' War." Alicia explained.

"The Hundred Years' War begun as an inheritance dispute over the French throne, and the English took advantage of this by invading France and nearly achieving their goal of a dual monarchy between both countries under English control." Darren added.

"And to make things worse, a French political party known as the Burgundian Faction, which supports the English, fought alongside them in their conquest to conquer all of France. The French people and the Armagnac Faction, a political party that opposed the English, would have forever lost their country if it wasn't for the birth of Jeanne d'Arc, a.k.a. Joan of Arc." Alicia said, placing her hands behind her back.

"Jeanne was born as a peasant girl living with her parents in the French countryside." Darren explained as he holds up a finger. "But when she reached the age of 13, she claimed that three heavenly figures known as Saint Michael, Saint Catherine and Saint Margaret, appeared before her and tell her to drive the English out of France, and she claim their meeting brought tears of joy to her eyes."

"She later asked a French commander, Robert de Baudricourt, to escort her to the French Royal Court in Chinon where she can meet King Charles VII of France." Alicia said. "And during her travels, she journeyed through Burgundian territory while disguising herself as a male soldier."

"She cross-dressed?" Erza asked Alicia.

"We'll get back to that later." Alicia replied.

"Although many of his advisors find it hard to believe that a poor peasant girl, claiming to have been visited by messengers of God, would be the one who will lead France to victory in the Hundred Years' War, King Charles appointed Joan to lead the French Army in Orleans when he grew pleased and confident with her after having a private conference with her." Darren continued explaining.

"Although she was wounded in battle, the Siege of Orleans ended with a decisive French victory, and this marked the rise of Joan of Arc as the heroine of France. Under her command, the French Army and the Armagnac went on to win several more battles against the English and the Burgundians including Jargeau, Meung-sur-Loire, and Beaugency. But unfortunately, she failed to liberate Paris from the English, although she did go on to win one more battle for France which is the Siege of Compiegne." Alicia added.

"Unfortunately, she was ambushed and captured by the Burgundians during the Siege and was imprisoned by the enemy." Darren said.

"She stood in a politically motivated trial by the English and Burgundians, even making use of the moment she disguised herself as a male soldier, to tell their supporters that she isn't a child of God but rather a witch and a heretic. And eventually in 1431, after an unfair trial conducted by her enemies, Joan was executed by being burnt on a stake." Alicia finished with a solemn frown.

"But fortunately, her death was not in vain. Although the war went on for another 22 years, the French continued winning many battles without Joan's command, and the English eventually lost all of their territory in France and their alliance with the Burgundians. A retrial for Joan of Arc later took place by the Pope of the Papal States. She was pardoned and canonized as a Saint by the Catholic League." Darren said.

"And that is the life and legacy of the heroine of France, the Maid of Orleans, Joan of Arc, also known as Jeanne d'Arc." Alicia finished their explanation. As they do, she and Darren smile at Sheena and Team Natsu as they gesture to Jeanne by extending their arms to her.

Afterwards, there is another moment of awkward silence as Sheena and Team Natsu stare back at Darren and Alicia in bewilderment, and even more confused than before. Darren and Alicia groan as they lower their arms and heads. They look back at their friends and said to them, "Basically, she's a peasant girl who is sent by messengers of God to save an entire country, but died a tragic death."

"Oooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhh." Team Natsu and Sheena replied with their eyes wide, finally understanding what Darren and Alicia had been telling them.

"I get it now." Gray added.

Jeanne giggled and said with her hands behind her back, "Yes, that is me."

Darren and Alicia turn back to the blonde-haired woman. The latter grins at Jeanne as she clasps her hands together, trying to contain the overwhelming sense of joy and excitement inside her right now.

"I can't believe I'm actually standing in front of the real Joan of Arc right now! I've always been fascinated by your biography. You truly are an inspiration to all women everywhere!" Alicia squealed ecstatically.

"Ahahaha, thanks." Jeanne replied, smiling sheepishly at Alicia as she strokes her hair.

"I thought you were dead, Jeanne." Darren said with his eyes wide in amazement. "Unless, after you got burnt to death, you reappeared here on Earth Land?"

"Well…" Jeanne rubs the back of her neck as she struggled to answer. "I'm not really sure about that. But if my memory serves me right, I first appeared in this strange world probably about nine years ago. A small, beautiful angel with long blonde hair, whose wings are at her ears for some reason, stood right in front of me." Lucy, Natsu, Erza, Gray, Wendy, Happy and Carla gasped upon hearing the description of this so-called angel. Jeanne turns her head to the stained glass windows as she continues to reminisce her past. "The only words she ever said to me were 'Oops, sorry. I accidentally revived you while keeping the island behind me safe with my powers.' And before I knew it, she magically sent me here to Zinnia, which is the nearest town from our location." She laughed as she shrugs her shoulders.

"Was the island behind the girl trapped inside a huge circular barrier?" Wendy inquired.

"Oh." Jeanne said as she looked back at Team Natsu. "Yes it is."

Team Natsu gasped again before yelling out in shock and astonishment, "MAVIS?!"

* * *

Meanwhile, several miles southwest from the town of Zinnia, a hundred praetors, armed with swords and spears, are lined up in a few horizontal rows as they face the small town from the crest of a hill that has a clear view of the area. Behind them are four battle vehicles which their design is a mixture of a bulldozer and a tank without a barrel. Each vehicle has four wheels and a large and wide metal blade installed at the front of it. They are made of metal plating and each of them is operated by a praetor sitting inside the top section of the vehicle that has a rectangular shaped window at the front for them to see through.

Two particular praetors stepped forth at the head of the small army. One of them is a squad leader while the other is a man with red swept back hair, a long red moustache connected to his side burns and dressed in a grey praetor uniform with a white cape draped over his shoulders.

"Second Lieutenant Calares, it seems the town has no sort of guard unit protecting them whatsoever." The squad leader reported to the red-haired man as they look down at the small town in the distance.

"Very good." Calares said coldly with his left hand clinging onto his sheath at the left side of his hip. "We shall invade the town at night."

"Why not now, sir?" The squad leader inquired. "Zinnia has possibly the largest coal mines in the southern parts of Fiore. The earlier we demolish this town to the ground, the sooner those mines are ours."

"Need I remind you that tomorrow will be the Harvest Festival? It's a time of the year when all the people of Fiore settle down peacefully and come together to celebrate the festivities. But if we destroy the town at the night, the villagers will either be killed or driven out of their homes unexpectedly while they are preparing themselves for the holiday. And the very next morning, the destruction of their town on what was supposed to be a festive occasion will bring considerable propaganda triumph to the Abbey, thus making our victory much more satisfying." Calares explained with a malicious smirk.

"I…understand, sir." The squad leader said nervously as even he couldn't comprehend how diabolical Calares' plan of invasion truly is.

"Ready our men at 8 o'clock, sergeant." Calares ordered. "Tonight, Zinnia will be eradicated."


End file.
